The Zerg Swarm
by East Bridge
Summary: After being struck by lightning, a young man of Earth woke up in a barbaric and hostile world. His only tool of survival: the ability to spawn the Zerg swarm.
1. Chapter 1

_Author Note: This story does not take place in the Starcraft Universe. The following trilogy is in no way meant to be a part of Starcraft canon. It is meant to be a standalone story only. As such, some artistic license had been assumed where the Zerg specie is concerned._

**Chapter 1: Awakening**

He felt only pain.

It was as though the inside of his skull was on fire. A storm of fragmented memories swirled around in his head.

He heard voices.

"Momma, big brother is moving," the voice of a young girl said.

He recognized the voice. Dawn, his sister. No, he was an only child, he didn't have a sister. No, he had a sister; she was four years old.

His eyes opened. He was lying on a tatter patch of hide. His clothes seemed to be made of the same material. Above him was the rock ceiling of a cavern. All of it was both familiar and strange. He felt a warm hand on his forehead.

"Night," a woman voice said. "How do you feel?"

He looked over to see woman with long black hair. She looked to be in her forties but he knew she was only in her mid thirties. Her beauty was marred by crowfeet on the corners of her eyes and a weariness that was beyond her age.

He knew her, at least part of him did.

Her name was Gemma and she was his mother. She had been raising him and Dawn for three years, after their father had abandoned them. At the same time, there was a fragmented memory of another robust woman called Sarah. She was also his mother. There were also memories of a tall, lanky man called Ethan. The man was his father.

Confusion caused his temple to throb in pain. How could he have two sets of parents?

"What happened?" he muttered, it was a question directed at the ether.

"Lightning!" Dawn's voice answered him.

He looked over to the raven haired little girl, trying to clearly see her feature through the pain.

"You were hit by a bolt of lightning," Gemma explained.

Yes, he remembered that. A flash of light from the sky, and then darkness.

In a moment, the storm of images in his head consolidated into cohesive memories. Instead of clearing his head, he was even more confused.

There were two distinctive sets of memories in his head.

One was of a person called Nathan Peter, the only son of a middle-class family from Cleveland, Ohio. Nathan lived on a peaceful planet called Earth. Earth was a planet of technologies. The humans there had successfully taken to the sky and were on the verge of exploring the stars.

One set of memories belong to a person called Night Tasana. Night lived on a world called Luminous. Luminous was a world whose technological progress was equal to that of Earth in the Middle Age.

The only memory that both Nathan and Night shared was the bolt of lightning. Both of them had been hit by lightning and lost consciousness. The next memories was Night/Nathan's awakening.

He didn't know which set of memories was real. He knew that he was on Luminous. This little cave was the home Night shared with his mother and sister. And yet, Nathan's memories seemed just as real. Sarah was as much his mother as Gemma was.

"How do you feel?" Gemma asked.

"My head hurts," Night answered, "and I'm a little hungry."

Gemma's expression softened. "I'll go find you some food." She stood up and turned to Dawn. "Stay with your brother."

"Ok, momma," the little girl said.

With that, Gemma left the cave.

A wave of worry gripped him. His mother was going hunting. According to Night's memories, humans did not rule this world. This world was populated by countless species of mystical and violent beasts called Hellites. Hellites were far stronger and faster than normal humans, and they greatly outnumbered the human race—no one knows by how much. To make matters worse, level three Hellites and up all possessed supernatural abilities.

Because of the threats of Hellites, large scale farmlands were near impossible to maintain and, consequently, large-scale raising of domesticated animals for food was impractical. Humans' main source of food was hunting Hellites, an extremely dangerous endeavor under the best circumstances.

The humans of this world only hope of survival was two types of energy. One was Magic, a force similar that written in the fantasy novels of earth, the other was Force, a type of energy that could enhance humans' physicals body to match Hellites. However, only one out of every four human could utilize Force and only one out of twenty could use Magic.

Force Users and Magic Users along with Hellites were divided into ten levels. Gemma was a level one Force User. If she encountered a level two Hellite, then her only recourse was to flee. If she encountered a level three Hellite, then it would take a miracle for her to survive. For her, a hunting trip was a dance with death.

Guilt consumed him. He shouldn't have said anything. He would never be able to live with himself if a little hunger caused Gemma her life.

It was too late, however. Gemma was already gone and he could wield neither Magic nor Force. His hands clenched into fists.

"_Do you want power?" _A voice echoed in his head.

Night bolted upright, starling Dawn.

"Big brother?" the little girl said.

"Did you hear that?" he asked him.

Dawn shook her head, worry and fear filled her eyes.

Night felt an ache in his heart. Dawn was only four. She shouldn't have that look in her eyes.

"_Do you want power?"_ the voice asked again.

The voice seemed to resonate deep in his very soul. It sounded like an echo from the deepest depth of the stars. Night felt a touch of fear. He could feel the power in the voice. He knew that the owner of the voice could crush him from the face of this world with a thought.

At the same time, Night knew that the voice could give him power. He gritted his teeth.

"Yes!" he said.

"_For what reason do you want power?"_

"To protect my mother and my sister. To give them the life they deserve."

The tone changed and the voice laughed. _"Good answer, kid."_

Something inside him broke and a wave of heat surged to every corner of his body. He felt as though he was being burn alive. He heard screaming and it took a moment for him to realize that he was the one who was screaming.

The pain came and went within ten seconds but for him, it was a lifetime of agony. When he came to, he found that he had rolled off the piece of hide. His head was in the dirt floor of the cave. Dawn was crying, clinging onto the sleeve of his shirt.

"It's ok," he said, pulling her into his chest, soothing her. She felt so thin. He wondered when was the last time she had a good meal. For that matter, he couldn't remember the last decent meal they had had from Night's memories.

Holding his little sister, Night searched his mind. Beside the two set of memories, there was a few lines of new information in his head.

_Collective Evolutionary Stage: 0_

_Overmind's Bio Energy: 100/100_

_Collective Stored Bio Energy: 0_

_Requirement to Evolve Collective: Hatchery_

He felt hot. His blood was boiling. He felt a compulsion. He was alone. He should not be alone. There need to be more.

Strange thoughts swirled around in his head. Unable to resist the thoughts, he got up and headed for the entrance of the cave. As soon as he took a step, he felt someone tugging at his sleeve. He looked down to see Dawn pulling at him.

"Don't," she said. "We're not supposed to go outside when momma is not here."

He smiled and patted her head. "It's ok," he said. "It's all going to be ok."

It was getting harder to concentrate but that didn't matter. He needed to evolve. He needed the Collective. He needed to birth the swarm.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Birth of the Swarm**

Night made his way through the shrubbery that concealed their cave and made his way into the forest. Their cave was located in a mountain on the outer edge of a large forest.

Half of this planet was occupied by a single super-continent. On that continent, three quarters of it was covered by forest. Because of the Hellites, the deep forest was the forbidden zone; no one entered the deep forest and survived to tell about it.

Still, night made his way through the trees. Behind him, he was aware that Dawn was following him, begging him to come back.

He continued on until he came to a large clearing. Acting completely on instinct, he walked to the middle of the clearing and placed his hands onto the grass. He felt a wave of heat leaving his body and flowing into the ground, leaving him cold and exhausted. Inside his head, the _Overmind's Bio Energy_ dropped from a hundred to zero.

As soon as he staggered away from the center of the clearing, a bluish fleshy cocoon sprouted from the ground. Within five minutes, the cocoon swelled up to fifty feet, growing to occupy the entire clearing. He could see through the outer membrane to the churning red liquid inside.

With the appearance of the cocoon, his head cleared considerably and he began to wonder what the hell just happened. He felt Dawn tugging at his shirt.

"What's that, big brother?" she asked, staring wide-eyed at the cocoon.

"I…I'm not sure," he said.

The cocoon looked suspiciously like the incubation state of a Zerg's hatchery, a race in one of Nathan's favorite game series—Starcraft. But that was ludicrous, wasn't it?

Whatever the cocoon was, it was going to take twenty hours for the hatchery to complete. He wasn't sure how he knew that; he simply did.

Not knowing what else to do, Night took Dawn back to the cave. The rest of the day was relatively uneventful. Their mother did not return. Without food, both of them went hungry for the day. The hunger did not bother them; they were used to it.

Civilization on this planet was comprised of a handful of cities and a number of outpost towns occupied by a little less than twenty percents of the human population. The other eighty percents took their chances out in the wild and the chances were never good. Compare to Earth, it was a cruel system but it was born of necessity due to the lack of living space within the protective walls of the limited number of cities and outpost towns.

On this world, power decided a family's status. A family could only live in an outpost town only if it possessed a level three Force User or a level one Magic User. To live in a city, a family group needed a level five Force User or a level three Magic User. The difference between the two combat types was due to their destructive power. A Magic User was more frail than a Force User but with adequate protection from Force Users or placed on the wall of an outpost town or city, their destructive power far exceeded that of their Force Users brethrens.

Night and Dawn's father was a level three Force User. Instead of taking their family to an outpost town, he had instead abandoned his wife and children to seduce a female member of a large clan from a distance city, living their mother to raise their two children in the wild. Dawn was three months old at the time. Afterward, Night had erased most of his memories of his father by sheer force of will.

The next morning, Night awakened to the sound of his sister crying softly.

"Dawn?" he whispered. "What is it?"

The little girl sniffled. "I'm hungry."

Her words cut through him. As used to hunger as they were, a full day without any food was still too much for a four years old girl. He searched his mind for a way and found that there was some new information in his head.

_Hatchery:_

_Energy converter_

_Spawn Larvae (500 per twenty-four hours)_

_Spawn Creep (radius of three miles)_

The hatchery must have finished when he was sleeping.

Beside the information about the hatchery, there was also an update to the information in his mind.

_Collective Evolutionary Stage: 1_

_Overmind's Bio Energy: 10/500_

_Collective Stored Bio Energy: 5_

_Requirement to Evolve Collective: 5000 units of bio energy_

Much of the information seemed to confirm his suspicion that the hatchery was a Zerg hatchery, though there were a few lines of information that didn't exist within the game. The _Overmind's Bio Energy_ has increased from a maximum of one hundred to five hundreds. He also felt stronger. The hunger remained but he felt as though he could rip a tree out of the ground if he wanted to.

Pushing away his confusion for a later time, Night left the tunnel with his sister, only taking with him a small pouch of hide containing clean water. As soon as they stepped outside, they saw that the ground outside was already covered with a light purple carpet. Night identified it immediately as creep. He knelt down and touched the carpet. It wasn't slimy. It was smooth and spongy, reminding him of the gummy candy of earth.

A thought occurred to him and he tore a handful creep from the ground. The creep around rushed in to filled the hole as though it was water though the texture remained a gummy solid. With a little hesitation, he tasted the creep. There was a gentle sweetness to the gummy mass, and as soon as he swallowed, he felt his hunger abated somewhat. Elated, he tore out another chunk.

"Here, Dawn, eat this," he said, holding it out to his sister.

The four-year-old took the creep and swallowed it without hesitation. Night wondered if it was because she trusted him implicitly or if she was simply too hungry to consider to possible outcome.

After the first mouthful, Dawn's eyes widened. She immediately knelt down and tore chunk after chunk of the creep from the ground and stuffing it into her mouth. She looked at him with a look of joy and satisfaction.

Night hid his grimace. He knew that the creep was not supposed to replace regular food. It was akin to coffee on earth. It gave humans a boost of energy but barely provide any nourishment. He could survive on creep alone but Dawn couldn't; her human digestive system couldn't extract the necessary sustenance from the creep.

He started when the thought appeared. _Human_ digestive system? Then what was he?

He shook the thought away. He would contemplate such thing later. His most immediate concern was that he needed to find some food for Dawn.

"Don't eat too much, Dawn," he said. "Let's go."

The four-year-old stood up and wiped her mouth though she still looked longingly at the creep beneath her feet.

Sighing, Night led his sister to the clearing the day before. Occupying nearly the entire area was his first hatchery. The appearance of the structure was near identical to that in the game: five tunnels leading into a deep red fleshy volcano, with five fang-like protrusion between the entrances of the tunnels. Crawling around the immediate area around the hatchery were dozens of bugs that resembled roly polies.

Larvae.

The minute he saw them, information popped into his head.

_Genetics Information Available: Queen, Overlord, Zergling, Drone._

With the new information came the solution to their lack of food problem. Neither of them could hunt for Hellites but the Zerglings could.

He concentrated on Zergling and information popped into his head.

_Zergling: Basic ground combat unit. Cost: 1 unit of bio energy_.

By now, Night had guessed that he was the Overmind of this specie. According to Starcraft's canon, the Zerg's Overmind was the ultimate authority of the Zerg swarm, the singular consciousness that govern this entire race.

He didn't spend any time contemplating how he became the Overmind of what was supposed to be one of the most destructive races in science-fiction universe. Consuming his thoughts was the desire to survive and take care of his family.

From the information in his head, he had fifteen units of bio energy available to him. Learning from the event of yesterday, he walked forward and placed his hand onto the hatchery. He thought to order the larvae to mutate into Zerglings but before the words left his mouth, he felt a wave of heat leaving his body. Fifteen larvae simultaneously rolled up and morphed into fifteen fleshy cocoons.

Telepathic connection.

He startled and realized that the Zerg Collective did not need vocal order. There was a psychic connection between him and the swarm, and they would response to his every whim.

Starcraft's canon did mention that the Zerg's Overmind possessed tremendous psychic power, powerful enough to span the distance between planetary bodies. Did he develop these powers when he became Overmind?

Seemed there was much he needed to discover about himself.

Half an hour later, the cocoons burst apart and the Luminous' Zerg swarm witnessed the birth of their first group of Zerlings, fifteen deep red dog-like insects the size of golden retrievers with teeth, claws, and a pair of scythe-like limps protruding from their back. As soon as they were born, they converged around Night and his sister. They surrounded the two and prostrated upon the grown, an instinctive act of homage to their Overmind.

"Wha…what are those?" Dawn said, trembling and hiding behind him.

"Zerglings," Night said. "It's alright. They're here to protect us." He could feel their minds. The Zerglings were empty of all thoughts. There was no fear, no confusion, no desire. They were simply waiting for an order from their Overmind.

Night kept five of the Zerglings at the hatchery for protection and ordered the other ten to scout the surrounding area. The ten Zerglings disappeared into the forest with barely a rustle from the bushes.

Though he felt them getting farther and farther away, his telepathic connection with his Zerglings did not weaken. Closing his eyes, Night found that he could see through the eyes of any Zergling he chose.

On a whim, he projected his mind to a Zergling to the north. He wasn't sure how he knew how to do that but it felt as easy as breathing. The primal consciousness of the Zergling retreated without resistance, surrendering control of its body to his mind, and he suddenly was the Zergling, seeing what it saw, hearing and feeling what it heard and felt.

Captivated by his new ability, he wandered aimlessly around the forest in the body of the Zergling. It was strong, fast, and seemingly tireless. After ten minutes, he felt a tug on his mind. A Zergling to the southeast had found a living creature.

His mind jumped from one Zergling to the other. Even though the two creatures were miles apart, the transfer was instantaneous. The scenery before his eyes changed. Through the shrubberies, he could see what looked like a furless, gigantic brown bear with a lion head but without a mane. From its maw, two large fangs extended beyond its chin.

Night recognized the beast. The first thing that children in the wild learned was not reading or writing but how to identify various species of Hellites and the signs that marked their territory.

The beast before his Zergling was a Fanged Behemoth, a level three Hellites. It was a creature strong enough to shatter stones, with a hide so thick that it could turn away a level one Force User's sword. Beside its immense strength and durability, the Fanged Behemoth was famous for its ability to cause earthquake in a small area, knocking any creature in the area off balance, creating an opening for the creature to deliver its killing blow.

Keeping the Zergling hidden, he sent out a telepathic call to the rest of the swarm. Though taking on a level three Hellite was quite dangerous, Night wanted to try. It may be reckless but he felt a measure of confidence. Within the Starcraft Universe, the Zerg swarm was the scourge of the stars, feared even by the super advanced Protoss.

Inside of five minutes, the Zerglings arrived. The Hellite looked up at the rustling sounds of the bushes around it. Night knew that the window of a surprise attack was closing. With no time to reconsider, he sent out an attack order.

The result stunned him.

Nine Zerglings swarmed onto the Hellite within half a heartbeat. The Fanged Behemoth barely had time to react before its head and three of its limps were torn off. The battle was over before Night knew what happened. It was barely five seconds for a level three Hellite to be torn to pieces.

From Nathan's memories of playing Starcraft, he knew that the Zerg was a brutal and vicious race but it was an entirely different thing to see the Zerglings ferocity firsthand. More than that, the entire thing felt surreal. Up until this moment, any Hellite higher than level one was a symbol of fear and a herald of death to his family, but now, he had caused the death of a level three Hellite with a single thought; the different was jarring.

With a last thought to the Zerglings guard their kill, Night mind returned to his body. The first thing he heard was his sister's tearful voice.

"Big brother! Big brother!" She was crying and calling him.

"What?" he said. "What's wrong?"

"You…you just froze...you weren't saying anything…" Dawn stuttered before bursting into tears.

Night startled. Of course if his mind was occupying the body of a Zergling, his body would be left without a governing consciousness.

He knelt down and pulled his little sister into his chest. "It's ok, little sister. I'm sorry."

"I was so scared." Dawn wept. "You just stop moving. Momma hadn't come back yet. I don't want to be alone. Please don't leave me alone."

Listening to the crying four-year-old, he wanted to smack himself. He was so consumed with playing with his new power that he'd completely forgotten his sister.

"I'm so sorry," he said, clutching her closer. When Dawn's crying faded to sniffled, he let her go and held in front of him. "You want to hear a secret?"

It took a moment for the little girl to nod.

Smiling, Night sent a command to one of the Zerglings guarding them. The creature got up on its hind legs and tried to dance. Within two seconds it toppled over and fell onto its back. It got the desire effect however. A giggle burst out of Dawn.

"I can control all of these creatures," Night said. "I can also see and hear everything they do. As long as one of them is with you, I am always by your side."

Dawn sniffled once more before hugging him, slightly clinging to his neck.

When she finally let him go, he stood up and offered her a reassuring smile. "Come on, let's go have breakfast."

With a five-Zerglings guard, they made their way into the forest. They had little trouble making their way toward the site of the Fanged Behemoth's demise. Dawn stared in wonder at the enormous body of the Hellite. Up until now, their mother had only brought them smaller Hellites for food. It was the first time the four-year-old had ever seen such a big Hellite.

Night ordered one of the Zerglings to tear out a chunk of meat from the Hellite. He started a fire and began to roast the meat. Their meal was relatively uneventful saved for the separated arrival of a level two Hellite and three level one Hellites who were drawn to the scent of blood. Their uninvited visitors were quickly torn to pieces by the Zergling swarm.

As they ate, Night sent out ten Zerglings to search the forest for his mother. She had been gone for a day now. It wasn't unprecedented but it was very rare. He was worried. In the past, whenever she was absent for this length of time, she always came back injured.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The All Seeing Eye**

After their meal, there was still a lot of meat left. It was the first time either of them had ever had an excess of food before and Night wasn't sure what to do. They didn't have any way to preserve the meat and it would be waste just to throw it away.

After a bit of consideration, Night decided to bring the Hellite corpses back to the hatchery and decide there. Once that decision was made, another problem presented itself: how were they supposed to bring the Hellite bodies back to the hatchery? Zerglings were ferocious warriors but they were ill-designed to move resource.

Resource. The word brought the Zerg Drones to mind. Though in the game Drones could only collect crystals, Night felt that a few Drones could solve his problem. It was an instinctive awareness. Night was beginning to think that his subconscious had a far better understanding of the Zerg Collective than he did.

The thought of Drones brought the information to his conscious mind.

_Drone: Basic worker unit. Cost: 1 unit of bio energy._

Currently, the _Collective Stored Bio Energy_ was two, enough to morph two Drones. After a moment of hesitation, he sent out the order to morph two Drones. He felt a flicker in his mind, a confirmation that the Collective was carrying out his will.

As they waited, Dawn seemed to begin to get used to the Zerglings. Curious, she wandered toward one of the Zerglings and began to examine it. Night sent a command for the Zergling to remain still, letting his sister inspect the creature to her heart's contend.

They were there for an hour, during which one more level two Hellites and six level one Hellites were drawn to the area by the scent of blood. The five Zerglings easily tore the Hellites apart, soaking the area in blood.

After an hour, the two Drones arrived at the area. The Drones looked like tail-less scorpions with a pair of membrane wings on either side, connecting their pincers to their body. Not counting the membrane wings, a Drone was twice the size of a Zergling.

Night sent them an order to bring the Hellites carcasses back to the hatchery, not having a clue on how the Drones would go about obeying him. He watched in fascination as the Drones went to the lifeless body of the Fang Behemoth. Their pincers easily pierced the creature body, cutting through hide, flesh, and snapping apart bones. Each Drone cut out a chunk of meat three times its size and placed the package on its back. With that complete, the Drones turned and headed back in the direction of the hatchery.

Curious, Night took his sister's hand and followed the Drones. Unlike the games where the Drone's membrane wings were naught but decoration, in real life, the membrane wings acted to turn the Drone into a dish. More than that, Night saw some moisture on the membrane wings. Considering the fact that the package did not jostle in the least even though the Drones were moving through some very uneven terrain, he guessed that the moisture was some kind of adhesive fluid. Of course, fluidity of the Drones' movements did not hurt; their numerous legs gave the illusion that the Drones were gliding along the ground.

They arrived at the hatchery without incident. There were already dozen of larvae scurrying aimlessly around the immediate area of the hatchery, making it seemed like a bustling hive. Dawn didn't seem to be bothered by the skittering bugs and Night thanked god for small favor. The Zerg would be their tool for a better life and it would be a lot easier if his family wasn't creep out by them.

Night watched the Drones entered the hatchery and came out a minute later, their backs free of the Hellite flesh. In his mind, the _Collective Stored Bio Energy_ went up one unit. Without pausing, the Drones entered the forest in the direction of the Hellite bodies.

When the Drones were gone, Night turned his eyes onto the Hatchery. In the tumult of the morning, he hadn't had a chance to see what was inside the hatchery yet.

With nothing better to do, Night led his sister into one of the entrances of the Hatchery. The tunnel led upward and was circular, about ten feet in diameter. They followed the tunnel until it ended into a large chamber. The fleshy ceiling of the hatchery was about fifteen feet above their head. In the middle of the chamber was a large pool of bluish liquid nearly thirty feet deep. The liquid was clear enough that he could see to the bottom of the pool.

Looking into the pool, he saw his reflection for the first time since awakening. His face surprised him, because it was his face. Night's face was virtually identical to Nathan. Two people, both in their late teens, living on two planets god only know how far apart shared the same face who suddenly found themselves sharing the same body. For the first time, he felt the vague shadow of some bigger plan by some powerful force in the depth of the universe. It was the Voice. Was his entire life a part of some scheme conceived by the owner of the Voice?

Night looked around. This place would make a great home. It was certainly quite a lot better than their cave. Instinctively, he knew that the Hatchery was a living being in and of itself and was able to regulate its internal temperature according to his will. What made him curious was that the entire chamber was empty and there was nothing in the pool. Where did the Hellite meat the Drones had collected go?

His question was answered by the return of his Drones with another package of Hellite flesh. They went to the edge of the pool and dropped the flesh into the water. Night watched as the flesh sank into the water and dissolved within seconds, bones and all. In his mind the _Collective Stored Bio Energy _increased by another unit. He guessed that the pool's purpose was to dissolve organic matter and convert it into bio energy.

The next time the Drones returned, he ordered one of them to cut off a chunk of meat about half of his size. He then ordered to Drone to bring that chunk to the wall and sent out a command for the Hatcher to preserve the flesh. A transparent fleshy membrane grew out of the wall and encased the Hellite flesh. Within a few seconds, he could see the flesh turned blue as it froze. He instinctively knew that, at his command, the Hatchery could raise the temperature inside the pouch high enough to burn the flesh to ash. He wished he knew that sooner. It would safe him the trouble of having to start a fire and roasting their meal.

These subconscious bits of information were beginning to bother him. He couldn't riffle through them as will. When they appeared, they wouldn't be clear, just an impression, like a whisper from his subconscious. For the first time, he wished that there was some way he could talk to the voice that gave him this power. If he could ask the voice some questions, it would greatly increase his understanding of the Zerg and his subsequent control of the Collective.

Sighing, he put such thing out of his mind. There was no point in dwelling on thing he could do nothing about. His most immediate concern was finding his mother. The Zerglings he had sent out couldn't find a trace of his mother. Even though the people said that 'no news is good news', he didn't feel comforted.

A thought appear in his mind; he needed an Overlord. Immediately, the information appeared in his mind.

_Overlord: Higher intelligent commander and carrier. Cost: 15 units of bio energy._

The cost of the Overlord shocked him. In the game, an Overlord cost one hundred minerals, which was only four times the cost of a single Zergling. Why did his Overlord cost so much more?

This was a problem. The _Collective Stored Bio Energy_ was only two, and his own reserve of bio energy was only one.

Before he could consider his problem, there was a tug on his mind. One of his Drones was being attack. He felt a flicker of irritation. He had too few units. A single loss was a sizable decrease of power for the Collective.

With a thought, he sent the five available Zerglings to help the Drone. His sister and he didn't need the guard; they should be safe within the Hatchery since he could close the Hatchery's entrances with a thought. How he would love to morph a few more Zerglings and Drones but he needed to save his resource for an Overlord. A sense of frustration filled him along with a tremendous desire to increase the size of the swarm.

Within a minute, the Zerglings sent back confirmation that they had entered battle. Night's mind jump into one of the Zerglings for a few moments to see a large cat-like Hellite being tore apart by four Zerglings. He recognized the creature as a level one Hellite called a Gray Fur. He also saw the injured Drone. One of the creature's pincers was broken and the membrane wings were ripped, but its good pincer was holding onto a severed leg of the Hellite. A pincer for a leg. It was a good display of the Drone's combat ability. In the few seconds that he stayed in the mind of the Zergling, he saw the Drone's wounds healing at a noticeable rate. In the game, one of the Zerg's advantages was self regeneration. It would seem that that advantage was even stronger in real life.

His survey of the battlefield only took a few seconds, not enough time for Dawn to notice.

"Dawn," he called. "Don't touch the water."

His sister had wandered to the edge of the pool and peering into the water. It was a preemptive warning. He knew for a fact that the water wouldn't hurt him, but he didn't know how it would affect a normal human like Dawn. Once again, he wondered what he was. Why did he keep thinking of his sister as a _normal_ human?

With nothing else to do, Night sat down and waited. The Drones came and went. Under the protection of the Zerglings, they were no longer harmed by the Hellites that were attractive to the blood of their packages.

On one of the trip back, one of the Drones glided over to him and held out a small brown crystal in its pincer. Night could feel the Drone telepathically asking him what to do with the crystal. He took the crystal and ordered the Drone back to its duty.

Holding the crystal in his palm, he examined it. He had heard about such thing but he had never seen it before. A Hellite Core, a crystallization of a Hellite's energy, only found in a level three Hellites and up.

It was said that Hellites and Magic Users were divided into seven elements: fire, water, earth, wind, lightning, light, and shadow. It was said that Magic Users who possessed a Hellite Core of the same element as them could absorb the energy of the core, replenishing their own energy, even increasing their power.

"I wonder…" Night muttered.

He closed his fingers around the crystal. There was a flare of light and Night felt a stream of heat running up his arm and into his body. He opened his hand and the crystal was gone. In his head, the _Overmind's Bio Energy_ jumped to thirty-two.

Elated, he immediately placed his hand on the fleshy ground of the Hatchery and sent out a command to morph an Overlord. A stream of heat left his body and his bio energy reserve dropped by ten points. The Drones' collecting of Hellite flesh had result in the other five points of bio energy.

It took two hours for the Overlord to complete the morph. In that time, the Drones had completed their transporting of the Hellite corpses at the Fang Behemoth sight. However, on their various trips from the Hatchery to the sight, they encounter numerous Hellites who were drawn to the scent of blood. These low level Hellites had no chance against the Zerglings accompanying the Drones so by the time they finished at the original sight, their path between the Hatchery and the site were strewed with corpses of a dozen Hellites.

Night ordered the Drones to continue their collecting work. An hour later, the Luminous Zerg Collective birthed their first Overlord.

Night felt the creature immediately and more acutely than any other creature of the swarm. If the Zerglings and Drones were candles in his mind, the Overlord was a bonfire.

"_Awaiting your command, Overmind," _a deep, throaty voice echoed in his mind.

Night froze. He had no trouble guessing where the voice had come from. _"You can talk?"_ he sent back.

"_Yes, Overmind,"_ the Overlord answered.

Night wasn't sure how to feel about that. Still, there was an immediate concern on hand.

He turned to his sister. "Listen, Dawn. I'm going to search for mom so I'm going to freeze for a little bit. Don't leave the hatchery and don't go near the pool, ok?"

Dawn bit her lips and nodded.

Night gave his sister a hug before sitting down and closing his eyes. It was just for show for his sister's sake.

"_Give me command of your body,"_ he sent a message to the Overlord.

"_As you command, Overmind,"_ the Overlord answered.

Night felt the Overlord's mind retreating and his mind taking its place. It was disorientating for a few moment before his mind take full control of the Overlord's body. The creature was shaped like a hot air balloon with a translucent membrane wall on either side of its body. It was fifteen feet in height—not counting the limbs hanging from the bottom of its body—twenty feet long and thirty feet wide. The creature's brain and organ only occupied an area of two feet cube. The rest of its body was hollowed. Unlike the game, Ventral Sacs didn't need to be researched for the Overlord to transport units.

Night directed the Overlord body to rise into the air. The Overlord's speed was very slow compared to the Zergling's, moving at only about fifteen miles per hour. As Night rose into the sky inside the body of the Overlord, he finally understood why his subconscious wanted him to morph an Overlord.

The Overlord's optical organs allowed it clearly seeing in all direction, observing a sphere area a fifty miles in diameter. It was as though a map had appeared in his mind, showing everything within twenty-five miles of the Overlord body. He found when he focus on a spot, the Overlord's gaze would zoom into that area and he could see it as though he was standing right next to it.

After a short period of time adjusting, he began to scan the forest. It didn't go well. There were too many trees in the area. The plantations obscured most of his sight. It was even worse since he was not use to the Overlord's sensory ability.

"_Do you require assistance, Overmind?"_ the Overlord's throaty voice said.

"_Yes,"_ he answered. _"I need to find my mother."_

"_Mother?"_

"_Uh…a human woman,"_ he clarified.

"_As you wish."_

The Overlord's sight suddenly blurred for half a heartbeat. When it cleared, Night saw that the entire forest was glowing a soft green. Amidst the green aura of the forest, there were thousands of red shapes walking around.

"_What is this?"_ Night asked.

"_This is bio-sight, Overmind. It allowed us to identify all living creature within range," _the Overlord answered. _"There are two human females to the north; one of them is injured. Is that your target, Overmind?"_

Night started and turned his attention toward that direction. He saw it, the red outlines of two humans about four miles from the hatchery. The red outlines were inside a concealed cave but the Overlord's bio-sight allowed him to see the glow straight through the rock.

The glow of one was much fainter than the other. The Overlord had said that one of them was injured. Since these were the only human within ten miles, one of the shapes must be his mother; it had to be. He just hoped that it wasn't the injured one.

Outside, he could see a large Hellite prowling the area. It seemed to be searching for something.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Glory to the Queen**

Night jumped back into his body. He immediately ordered the ten searching Zerglings to converge on the area and killed the prowling Hellite. He didn't know what kind of Hellite it was or how strong it was but at this point, he didn't care.

He got up. "Come on," he said to his sister. "I think I found mother."

Dawn's face lit up immediately.

Night took his sister's hand and left the Hatchery. On his order, the Drones and their five-Zerglings guard were outside, waiting for them.

"Get on, Dawn," he said, waving one of the Drones over.

Dawn scrambled onto the creature without protest and Night climbed onto the one. He felt a bit of moisture gluing him to the creature's back, securing him there. It didn't feel wet or sticky. It was more like sitting on a layer of cool gel.

He sent a silent command and they all headed out. The Drones' maximum speed may not be as fast as the Zerglings' but they still moved much faster than either Night or Dawn. By his estimation, the Drones' could reach up to thirty miles an hour; the Zerglings could double that.

Within a few minutes, they arrived at the site. Night saw ten Zerglings milling about the body of a large Hellite. The creature was so ravaged by the Zergling group that Night couldn't identify what kind of Hellite it was.

Not giving the creature much thought, Night searched the area. He found the entrance to a cave behind a large bush of Haven Breath. Haven breath was a type of shrubbery with razor-edged leaves. They weren't edible but the pungent scent they gave off messed with the Hellites' sense of smell. For the humans living in the wild, Haven Breath was an extremely vital plant. All children were taught to identify the plant as soon as possible.

With a silent command to the Drones, he felt the adhesive dissolved, leaving no traces behind. Night and Dawn leapt off the Drones and entered the cave. Night order ten Zerglings to guard the entrance and the other five along with the Drones to accompany him and his sister.

They had little trouble finding the women within. One of them was a stranger, a little shorter than Night with long brown hair Her clothes were made of dried and cured Hellite's hide, same as anyone who lived in the wide but her face was covered. She was hovering over an unconscious woman lying on a patch of hide.

Night was elated and horrified. The woman on the ground was his mother. She was unconscious and her left arm was missing. Her wound was covered by a hasty bandage job of hide. The hide was soaked with dried blood but it was no longer bleeding.

When they entered, the brown-haired woman looked up and her eyes widened in fear at the sight of the Zerglings and the Drones.

"Momma!" Dawn cried as soon as she saw her and rushed to their mother's side. "Momma! Momma!" She was crying hysterically, shaking their mother.

"Dawn, don't!" Night said, running to his sister and pulling her back. He knew enough not to shake an unconscious injured person.

"Momma's dead! Momma's dead!" Dawn was crying and struggling in his grasp.

"No!" he snapped. "She's not dead. I won't allow it."

Dawn stopped struggling but she was still crying.

Night pulled his sister into his chest. "It's ok, Dawn. Mom will be ok. I promise."

He tried to protect a calmness and confidence he did not feel.

"You are Gemma's children, then?" the brown-haired woman said.

"Yes," Night said. "Can you tell me what had happened?"

"I found her yesterday, injured and fleeing from a Hellite. I took her into this cave and tended to her wound as best I could. Thankfully, the Haven Breath masked the scent of blood."

The woman's explanation was simple enough but Night could guess how dangerous the situation had been. He felt a wave of intense gratitude toward the woman. Life in the wild was so difficult that the vast majority of people never extended a helping hand to other. If not for the woman, he had no doubt that his mother would have died.

He released his sister and walked over to his mother. As carefully as he could, he scooped her up and placed her on the back of one of the Drones. He ushered his sister on to the back of the other Drone before turning to the brown-haired woman.

"You have my eternal gratitude," he said. "If you ever have a need for anything, head south until you come upon mass of purple gel covering the ground. I will know as soon as you step onto the Gel."

He joined his sister on the Drone, and their group left the cave, heading back toward the Hatchery.

On the way back, Night was consume with guilt. All of this had happened because of a single comment from him. If he had just kept his mouth shut. If only he knew that he could spawn the Zerg race. None of this should have happened.

He will save his mother even if it killed him.

The vow brought a measure of clarity. He needed to find a way, but how? He knew nothing of first aid. On Earth, he had barely finished high school. He hadn't even chosen his major for college yet. The memories of his life on Luminous gave some insights on how to treat wound but Gemma's injuries were beyond his ability.

He needed a Queen.

The thought popped into his head latched itself there. In Starcraft II, the Zerg Queen unit possessed an ability called Transfusion that could restore the life of any biological unit. On theory, it should work on human. In any case, a Queen was his mother's only chance. He examined the information about the Queen unit that had appeared in his head.

_Queen: High intelligent genetic manipulator and psionic unit. Cost: 20 units of bio energy._

'_High intelligent'_. The Overlord had the same description, suggesting that the Queen would have its own personality. It was not something Drake could consider at the moment. He wasn't even fazed by the high cost a Queen. He was simply grateful that he had enough.

As soon as they got back to the Hatchery, he ordered the morph of a queen. He cursed when the information in his head told him that a Queen needed six hours to morph. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he ordered the Drone to take his mother into the hatchery. Due to the fact that it was a living being, the inside of the Hatchery was all but free of microbes, it would be far better for Gemma to be in there. There was nothing he could do but pray that his mother could last that long.

The next six hours was hell for him. Dawn cried for nearly an hour before falling into an exhausted sleep. Gemma seemed to grow weaker with each passing minute. After six hours, she barely had a pulse. Night nearly cried in relief when he received the telepathic signal that a Queen had been born.

He summoned the creature immediately and the Queen emerged from the one of the entrance tunnels a few second later. The queen did not look anything like what Night expected. It did not have the bloated insect body of the Queens in Starcraft II nor did it look like the flying umbrella like the Queen unit of Starcraft I. The creature looked like a beautiful, curvy woman wearing a suit of carapace scales. Two skeletal wings extended from her back.

Upon first seeing her, Night felt a chill. The creature looked unmistakably like one of the most famous and arguably the most feared person in the Starcraft Universe: Sarah Kerrigan, the Queen of Blades.

"Greeting, Overmind," the Queen said. She actually spoke instead of using telepathy like the Overlord. Her voice was smooth and melodious. If Night wasn't looking straight at her, he could have sworn that he was speaking to a normal human.

"Later," Night said and indicated his Gemma. "Can you help my mother?"

The Queen smiled a deceptively gentle smile. "Of course, Overmind."

She held up her hand and there was a soft red flare. The next moment, a reddish glow encased Gemma like a cocoon, fading a second later. Night held his breath. He exhaled when Gemma began to stirred and rushed to his mother's side.

"Mom?" he whispered.

Gemma's eyes fluttered open and she turned to him. "Night? What happened?" She looked around the interior of the Hatchery. "Where are we?"

He couldn't help a laugh. "It's a long story. How do you feel?"

"I'm ok, maybe a bit weak."

"Let's get some food into you."

"Wait, where's your sister?"

Night gestured to the base of the wall. "She's sleeping. She kind got a little hysterical when we found you. Kinda cried herself to sleep."

Gemma frowned at him and Night was contrite. He did feel responsible for everything that had happened.

Night walked to the fleshy pouch that contained the Hellite meat from earlier in the day and sent the Hatchery a command. The frozen meat defrosted within a second and was thoroughly cooked in the next. Whatever else about the Zerg, Night had to admit that their Hatchery work a lot better than a microwave.

He brought the chunk of cooked flesh to his mother, barely noticing the scalding heat. Sitting down next to his mother, he tore the flesh into small strips and handed them to his mother. The Hatchery's cooking ability was extremely good. The meat was extremely tender, fairly falling apart in his hand.

They still had half a pouch of water. It was adequate for the moment. Night knew that there was a river to the east of their current position. He should probably secure a path to the river, ensuring a source of drinking water.

On Luminous, all bodies of water were danger zones. Rivers and lakes saw a lot of Hellite traffic. To get water, a large force was necessary. In lieu of that, stealth and extreme caution were required. In many ways, drinking water was even more difficult to come by than food.

"How long had I been gone?" Gemma voiced interrupted his thought.

"You left yesterday morning," Night answered.

Gemma took a moment to absorb this. "What is this place?"

Night exhaled. This was going to take some explaining, and he had no intention of hiding thing from his mother. "After you left yesterday, I heard a voice in my head asking me if I wanted power. I said yes and the result is that I am now the Overmind of the Zerg." He didn't mention that, on some level, he felt as though he had just made a deal with the devil.

"Overmind?" Gemma looked at him, her forehead crinkling slightly.

"The Overmind is the governing consciousness of the Zerg."

Gemma blinked twice, a look of confusion on her face. "And the Zerg is….?"

"The Zerg is a race of very evolved biological creatures whose strength lies in their overwhelming number. It is said that the Zerg is a specie that possessed all the fury of Nature and none of her mercy." He laughed grimly. "Not that Nature is all that merciful." The Hellites was a very good example of how vicious and cruel Nature could be.

"Wh…uh…what?" his mother said.

Night sighed. "Ok, I'll simplify it. For some reason that I don't really know or understand, I am in control of an extremely deadly race of creatures."

"And…and this place?"

"This place is called a Hatchery. It is the main headquarter of the Zerg specie. The entire building is a living creature that birth larva which can then be morph into Zerg creatures."

Gemma eyes widened. She looked from the blue pool back to the ceiling high above them. She looked stunned and he could sympathize.

"Momma?" a young voice pulled drew their attention. They looked over to Dawn who cried out and leapt into Gemma's chest. "Momma! Momma!"

Gemma smiled and patted the little girl's hair. "Hi, sweetie."

"You're ok."

Gemma kissed her daughter's cheek and hugged the four-year-old close.

"Momma, where's your arm?"

Both Night and Gemma flinched at the question.

There was a few seconds of indecision before Gemma sighed and said, "I lost it, sweetie."

"Where? Big brother can go get it back. He has a lot of strong pets."

Gemma said nothing. She simply held her little girl close.

Night got up and walked to the Queen side. "Can you restore her arm?" he whispered.

"Not yet, Overmind," the Queen answered. "I need access to the Roaches' genetic information. Only then can I use the Roaches' regenerative ability to regrow her limb."

Night was elated. There was hope after all. "Don't the Zerglings and the Drones also possess the ability to regenerate? Can't you use their genetic information?"

"No, Overmind. Your mother is human. The Zerg's genetic abilities will be greatly diminished on her person. Only the Roaches' genetic information is potent enough to make her whole. The alternative would be to graph Zerg genetic information onto her genetic structure, turning her into a hybrid. This would permanently grant her the Roaches' regenerative ability. Unfortunately, I do not possess this ability at the current time."

Night sighed in acceptance. It made sense. Roaches had the most extreme regenerative ability among the Zerg Collective.

"How do we unlock the Roaches' genetic information?" Night asked.

"The Collective needs to evolve to stage two. Stage two will unlock the Roaches, Hydralisks, and Banelings genetic information," the Queen answered.

Night digested the information. He was very glad for the existence of the Queen. She seemed to possess extensive understanding of the Zerg Collective. He was finally able to get all the information he needed. All he had to do was ask the right question.

"Do you have a name?" Night asked the Queen.

"No, Overmind."

"Does the name Sarah Kerrigan means anything to you?"

The queen considered it for a moment. "No, Overmind."

Night was relieved. In Starcraft canon, Sarah Kerrigan murdered the Overmind in power and took over the Zerg Collective. He really didn't want to go down that particular road.

"Eve," Night said. "That shall be your name." For a moment, he was tempted to let the Queen assumed the name Sarah Kerrigan, but he wished to distance himself from the human/Zerg hybrid as much as possible.

"As you wish, Overmind," the Queen said.

She may be a creature of higher intelligence but she seemed to have as much freewill as one of the Drone. Night preferred it this way. The Zerg was his family's hope for a long and better life; he didn't want anything to jeopardize that.

He saw his sister walking toward him.

"Momma said that there's no way to get her arm back," Dawn said, her bright eyes stared at him expectantly. He could see in her gaze a blind faith that wasn't there yesterday, and it was growing.

He knelt down and smiled. "It's ok. I'll get her a new one."

"Night!" Gemma remonstrated, scowling at him.

Night looked up at his mother. She must be thinking that he was lying to his sister, giving the little girl false hope. "I will, mother. I swear it."

Gemma seemed surprised by the conviction in his voice.

And he was resolute. Whether to make his mother whole or increase his family's of survival in this hostile world, the Zerg Collective must evolve.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Contact with Civilization**

Under Night's directive, the Luminous Zerg Collective entered a stage of rapid expansion. From Eve, Night learned of the existence of the Creep Colony, a structure of Starcraft I. Each Creep Colony cost twenty five units of bio energy and spread the creep carpet for an additional mile.

The Creep Colonies were unlike that of the game. They were shaped like a giant fleshy lotus flowers. They possessed defensive capability, emitting globs of acid spores at their target much like the Spore Colonies of Starcraft I. Unlike the Spore Colonies, which could only attack air targets, the Creep Colonies' corrosive spores could attacked both air and ground targets within a mile and a half of it.

Instead of being a standalone living entity like in Starcraft canon, the creep carpet was an extension of the hatchery. According to Eve, the creep was what absorbed solar energy which was then channel to the hatchery to be converted to bio energy. The bigger the creep carpet, the more solar energy was collected and, as a result, the more bio energy was acquired each day. Night had no trouble understanding the principle. It was no difference than solar panels.

Night learned that it was the creep that sustained the Zerg swarm. Zerg units were omnivore, but their preferred food was the creep. A single Zerg unit only needed a chunk of creep the size of a fist per month. Eve told him that a single unit of Bio energy could be converted into enough creep to sustain several thousand Zerg creatures for a year.

Night also learned of the creep's effects on plant life. In the game, the Zerg's creep was poison to plant life. What Night observed, however, was completely different. He observed the plants on the creep grew vibrant within days. According to Eve, the creep had incorporated the trees into the energy collecting network. The creep nourished the plants while increasing their absorption of solar energy, siphoning the excess. The creep was actually more effective when combine with lush plant life.

The plentiful plants provided them with quite a bit of wild vegetables and fruits, enhancing their diet. Night was grateful. Dawn needed a healthy diet.

He was beginning to feel like a parent, worrying about whether or not his sister was getting enough vegetable.

In the days after they found their mother, though they had no shortage of food, Dawn developed a liking to the creep. Even Gemma liked to use the creep as a snack. Night didn't really mind. The creep tasted much like jell-o and Eve told him that the creep was completely nontoxic to humans. It wasn't just them; even the Hellite developed a taste for the creep. Of course, most of them didn't survive such a meal, falling victim to patrolling Zerglings. This provided Night with a steady stream of Hellite corpse.

Within ten days, the number of Zerglings grew from fifteen to five hundreds, and the number of Drones increased to fifty. The creep carpet area was under constant surveillance of the Overlords who directed the Zerlings to any Hellite they spotted on the creep.

After a few battle, Night estimated that the Zergling's combat ability was roughly equal to a level two Hellite. Of course, considering the viciousness of a Zergling along with the fact that they seemed to be incapable of feeling any fear or hesitation, a lone Zergling could severely injured a level three Hellite. Even a level four Hellite was hard-pressed to enter combat with a Zergling and remained unscathed. In pact, their combat ability increased exponentially.

Within ten days, seven level four Hellites fell with bare minimum losses on the side of the Zerg; level three Hellites casualty numbered in the dozens and Night didn't even bother counting level one and two Hellites.

According the Eve, even the few losses when the Zerg entered combat with level four Hellites would have been averted if the Overlords had been allowed to direct the Zerglings. The Overlords' brains were designed to calculate and consolidate combat information extremely quickly and because of their powerful telepathic power, they could directly command the Zerglings, greatly increasing the creatures efficiently. Night promptly handed the control of the Zerglings to his Overlords, relaying all his order through the floating creatures

The Zerg's expansion was largely fueled by the Hellites' bodies and cores. Night learned that the hatchery's pool could dissolved Hellite cores and absorbed the energy within. He also learned the conversion rate of Hellite cores. A level three Hellite core provide about thirty to forty units of bio energy. A level four core provide about one fifty to one seventy.

Night kept a lot of the Zerglings' kills as food. The inside wall of the hatchery was soon covered with seal pouches preserving Hellite flesh.

In ten days, the creep carpet expanded to a circular area twenty miles in diameter, encompassing the cave of the woman who had saved his mother and extending beyond the River to the east. Night morphed four more Overlords, positioning one near the cave of the brown-haired woman and the other near the river.

The remaining two Overlords joined the original Overlord, hovering near the hatchery. An Overlord's body contained a hollow section fifteen feet high, twenty feet long, and thirty feet wide. The open space was designed for transport but it also made a wonderful bedroom. Night's initial plan of using the hatchery as sleeping quarters was quickly abandoned when he found out that the pool inside the hatchery could dissolve the flesh of a living human. He feared his little sister rolling over in her sleep and accidently falling into the water.

The Overlord also possessed the ability to regulate their internal temperature, making them wonderful living quarters. They also had an ability that both his mother and sister adored. The Overlords could project the immediate environment onto the wall, ceiling, and floor of their internal cavity. When this ability was activated, the Overlords' occupants could see everything around them. The wall, ceiling, and floor would look as though they had simply disappeared.

Once Dawn got use to the illusion that she was simply floating in midair and after the Overlord carried her into the clouds, it was next to impossible to drag her out of an Overlord. She spent most of her time up in the clouds. Though that was still within the firing range of the Creep Colonies and flying Hellites were very rare, it still made Night a bit nervous to have his sister up so high.

He tried to directly order the Overlords not to carry her that high, but Dawn ran crying to their mother who proceeded in telling Night that he was paranoid. He knew that her decision was due, in no small part, to the fact that she too was addicted to 'cloud swimming' as they called it. He could sympathize with their infatuation. They'd had lived most of their lives being bound to a small cave due to necessity; compared to that, the sense of freedom they found in flying was intoxicating. He loathed to admit it but he himself love to occupied an Overlord's mind and float among the cloud.

Between the two of them, he was outvoted and had to acquiesce. Though he was the Overmind and his words were law to the swarm, his family was a bit trickier. He couldn't rule his own mother and sister with an iron fist. With no other choice, he ordered the Overlords never to carry his mother or sister out of the range of the Creep Colonies and to descend to the ground immediately upon spotting any airborne object that was not Zerg..

His initial plan was to assign an Overlord to his mother and another to his sister but the four-year-old refused to sleep alone. The result of which was his mother sharing an Overlord with his sister and an Overlord went unused.

His Zerglings along with the Creep Colonies kept the creep carpet free of Hellites, providing his family with a large open area where they can travel without fear, an unheard of luxury, one that they didn't really indulged in, preferring to spend their time flying than strolling.

His Zerglings also claimed a sizable section of the river, providing all of them with a secure source of water. Soon, both his mother and sister developed the habit of bathing regularly in the river. Even the brown-haired woman, whose name Night learned was Emily, frequently joined his mother and sister.

After their experience, Gemma and Emily became very closed friends. With Night's Zerglings providing them with an abundance of food, Gemma and Emily had nothing to do with their days. After a few days, Emily began to teach Night and his family the writing system of Luminous. Night was a little surprise; the humans living in the wild were, for the most part, illiterate. Such tool of civilization had no use out here among the Hellites.

Night also learned that Emily was a Magic User; her element was lightning. Seeing a Magic User living the wild was exceptionally rare. A Magic User, even a level one, was very sought after by human settlements and their position would be relatively exalted. A Magic User would not live out in the wild without one hell of a reason. Night often wondered what Emily's reason was.

More and more, he felt that there was more to Emily, some unspoken secret to the woman whose face he still hadn't seen.

It was two weeks later when his Overlord spotted ten men heading toward them. Through the Overlord's sight, Night could see that all the men were armed with steel swords.

Metal weapons were mostly exclusive to cities and outpost towns; people in wild, for the most part, used part of Hellites that they had slain. Night knew that there was a town about thirty miles east of the river, but neither he nor his mother had ever been there. Thirty miles for his mother was a gamble that heavily favored the house. As for him, before his Zerg, just coming to the river was suicide.

What were the men doing here? They had never come this far before.

Upon seeing the men, Night immediately sent Eve along with a swarm of two hundred Zerglings to intercept. In the wild, humans were preyed upon by other humans almost of much Hellites. Gemma had had her kills stolen more than once in the past.

Worse than that, slavery was acceptable in many towns and cities. Night and his sister had narrowly escaped being abducted many times in the past. Even their mother had a few close calls.

As far Night knew, the outpost town to the east didn't practice slavery, though he couldn't be sure. He felt a flicker of fury. If this was a slave hunting party, Night swore to whatever god was watching, they would not leave his territory.

Through his Overlord, Night saw the men hesitated for a moment before stepping onto the creep carpet. He felt an urge to order the death. They may be human but a part of Night could only think of them as invaders.

He watched as Eve met the men at the eastern bank of the river. Night's mind jumped from the Overlord to Eve. In the last few days, he had learned how to jump into his Zerg creatures but taking an observer role, seeing and hearing what the Zerg creature did but still leaving the original consciousness to govern the body.

Through Eve's eyes, Night watched as the men froze when they saw Eve waiting for them by the river. He saw a short but muscular man with a goatee eyeing Eve with interest, even desire. Night didn't blame the man. Eve could fold her wings onto her back, which she did at all time outside of battle. Without her wings, she simply looked like a very beautiful woman and the carapace scales that covered her body did nothing to hide her figure.

Night felt a touch of pity for the man. He knew the truth behind that beautiful face. If that man ever succeeded in getting Eve into bed, the result would be a night he would never forget, assuming he could even survive. Coitus with a Zerg Queen couldn't possibly be pleasant, no matter how good she looked.

"Why have you come onto our land?" Eve asked the men.

The short man, who night assumed was the leader, stepped forward. "We come from Haven Field. We are here to find a female."

Feeling Night's anger, Eve's wings began to unfurl. She stood on the bank of the river like an angle of hell. Night knew that all it would take was a thought from him. All Eve needed was a single order from her Overmind and she would rip the man to pieces, and he was tempted to give her that order. Still, he thought prudent was better. He didn't want an unnecessary war.

At the appearance of Eve's wings, the men's eyes widened. They took a step back and drew their weapons. Night didn't try to stop them. Steel weapons would not do them any good. The scythes of a Zergling could tear through the Terran composite Neosteel and Protoss's psionic shield, given time. Even if the men were wearing full suits of armor, Night had no doubt that the two hundred Zerglings in the immediate area could tear them to pieces.

"Are you slavers?" Eve conveyed Night's question to the men. There was no attempt to hide the threat in her voice.

The leader bristled at Eve's tone and part of Night hoped he would make a move. He was somewhat disappointed when the leader seemed to gain control of himself.

"We are looking for a female named Emily," the leader said.

Night felt a little irked. There was an arrogant edge to the man's voice that he did not like. He knew it was normal; people who lived in cities and outpost towns tended to look down upon people living in the wild.

Still, they knew Emily.

"Come with me," Eve told them.

Eve led them across the river, toward the hatchery. The men followed her with little hesitation. Considered that they were from an outpost town, all of the men must be at least a level three Force Users. Night guessed that there was no Magic User in their rank because Magic User did not carry swords. Their confidence wasn't exactly unfounded, and if they weren't facing the Zerg, their group would be a considerable combat force.

As Eve led them toward the hatchery, Night's mind jumped to the Overlord stationed just outside of Emily's cave.

"_Emily,"_ he used the Overlord telepathic power to send a call to the woman.

It was an ability of the Overlord that Night had learned of recently. It seemed that the Overlords' telepathic power allowed them to project their thoughts to anyone. At the moment, the range of their thought projection ability to anyone beside Night was about two hundred and fifty yards, but their ability could bypass virtually any physical matter. Eve told him that, as the Collective evolved so will the Overlords' psychic power.

From the cave, a veiled figure emerged. Night loved to watch Emily walked. It was the way she moved; there was a grace and fluidity to Emily that Night found enchanting.

"Night?" Emily said.

"_Why do you always ask that? Do you know anyone else who could take over the mind of an Overlord?"_ Night projected.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Do you want something or are you just bored?"

Night and Emily had become close these recent days. Night would have never thought it but being a Zerg Overmind was quite boring. All he did was wait for the bio-energy reserve to increase. Battles and clearing of the battlefields were directed by the Overlords and Eve kept an eye on the Collective, ready to inform Night of any problem that arises. There was really nothing for needed Night attention. As such, he had to find some way to fill his free time and Emily was a wonderful distraction. They spent a lot of time these last two weeks just talking.

Being a Magic User, Emily was very well travel, at least compared to Gemma or Night. Nathan's memories, however, offered a wide range of topic. Living on Earth with cable television and easy access to the Internet, he never realized how much he picked up. He could more than hold his own against Emily in a conversation. Unfortunately, most of their talks tended to degenerate into a philosophical debate which often turned into an argument. Ironically, though Emily grew up on this hostile world, she was very kind, opposing the survival-of-the-fittest mentality that ruled this world. Nathan, on the other hand, was somewhat desensitized by cable TV and video games so he was not all that bother with this particular aspect of Luminous. Theirs was a close relationship based mostly on disputes.

"_A group of men has come looking for you,"_ Night projected.

Emily seemed startled by the news. "Did they say why?"

"_No, and I didn't ask. They jackasses so I try to speak to them as little as possible. Is everything ok? I could drive them away if you want."_

"No, it's alright," Emily whispered. "Can't run forever, I suppose."

"_What?"_

"It's nothing. I'll go meet them."

There was a strange shadow in Emily's eyes. She seemed…resigned and a little afraid. Night didn't miss it. Back at the hatchery, he frowned.

"_Eve is leading them to the hatchery,"_ Night projected.

Emily froze. "What? No! You can't let them come that far into your territory. What about Gemma and Dawn?"

"_That's a rather extreme reaction. Is there anything I should know about?"_

"It…it doesn't concern you."

"_I disagree."_ Night projected and returned to his body.

He stepped out of the hatchery to wait. The practical part of his mind wanted to order the death of the men immediately, but he ignored it. He felt confidence that he could handle whatever should arise.

Emily arrived first. Even with her face veiled, Night could tell that she was frowning at them.

"Where's Gemma and Dawn?" she said.

"Cloud swimming," Night said in exasperation. His mother and sister would not be back for probably another hour and he was a little glad. Confident as he was, he would not risk his mother and sister. If they had been here, the men would have been dead already. As it was, the main reason he allowed them to come to the hatchery was curiosity. The men knew Emily and, lately, Night felt a compulsion to find out more about the woman though he wasn't sure why; perhaps boredom.

"You're paranoid, you know that?" Emily said.

He could hear the amusement in his voice. She seemed to like how protective he was of his family.

"My mom told me the same thing. What is paranoid about not wanting my family to fall to their death?"

"They are not going to fall to their death. Your Overlord aren't exactly helpless, are they?"

Night huffed. "With their speed, they might as well be." Night's Overlords did have a rudimentary ability to defend themselves; unlike in the game, the Overlord's giant limbs weren't just for show. But they could only fight in point blank melee and Night had yet to have an opportunity to test their combat ability.

"What about your…what do you call them? Creep Colonies?"

"What about them?"

"Can't they protect the sky?"

Night floundered for a moment and decided to go on the offensive. "I don't understand why you keep taking their side. I admit, I'm not exactly helpless against flying enemies. Still, I would like to err on the side of caution. Isn't this world dangerous enough? Why take unnecessary risks?"

"Said the man allowing an armed party into the heart of his territory."

Night scoffed. "Please, they are hardly a threat."

Emily turned serious. "Of course they are, and you must promise that whatever happened, you must not interfere."

Night eyed her. "I can't make that promise. If this is a meeting of peace then I will stay out of it but if they try to hurt you, I will not stand idly by."

"You don't understand," Emily said. "These men are not like the lone Hellites your hounds hunt. Even if you could kill them, stronger men will come and in greater number. You must think of your own family."

Hounds. That was what Emily called Night's Zerglings. In some respect, he supposed that they do resembled dogs; mutated dogs from hell, but dogs nonetheless.

"I am," Night said. "If I let anything happened to you, my mom will never let me hear the end of it, and then there my sister to contend with. She's very taken with you, you know?"

"And for this you would start a war against an outpost town, even a city?"

"I can handle an outpost town, maybe even a city. My family? All the power in the universe won't help me with them."

Emily sighed and Night can hear a note of wistfulness.

"I can't ask this of you," she said.

"You don't have to. You saved my mom. As far as I am concern, you are a part of this family, and I am going to protect you, whether you want me to or not."

Emily didn't say anything, seemingly stricken speechless.

"Our guesses have arrived," Night said, turning.

From the trees, Eve emerged, leading a group of men.

"Welcome," Night said.

"Is this the female called Emily?" the short leader said.

Night's eyes narrowed. "Use the word 'female' one more time and we are going to have a problem."

The leader bristled and glared at him. Night was unfazed. Somehow, it felt like an ant was glaring at him. It was difficult for care when he could have them all killed

"She is coming with us," the leader said.

"Only if she wants to."

The leader stiffened and placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. "I am Herod of Haven Field—"

"And this is not your little town," Night cut him off. Under his silent order, Eve moved to Emily's side.

"We are under order of the Blood Fang clan of the city of White Stone to bring to take the females into custody," the leader said again.

Night glanced at Emily. Her hands were balled into fists at her side, and her eyes were fairly burning with anger.

"Good for you, but you are not taking her," Night said.

There was a moment of silent laced with tension followed by a ringing sound as the leader's sword left his sheath. In the next moment, all the men drew their weapons and lunged toward Emily.

Eve grabbed her and leapt backward as Night intercept the fastest man. He caught one of the man's arms and crushed his wrist. At the same time, Night's free hand closed into a fist and slammed into the man's side, hurling him away; Night could feel the man's bones shattering beneath his strike.

Night felt a sharp pain as a sword burst through his chest, impaling him from behind. He pivoted and slammed his elbow into the chest of the man behind him, shattering his rib cage.

The series of events happened within two seconds, just enough time for the Zerglings to shoot out of the forest and swarmed onto the man. There were shouts and screams. Severed limbs flew into the air, trailing blood in the atmosphere.

Individually, the men were stronger than the Zerglings but they were overwhelmed by sheer number and the ferocity of the swarm. It was a wholesale, one-sided slaughter that lasted all of thirty seconds. Afterward, the Zerglings settled into stillness.

When the battle started, he had noticed the leader retreated into the trees. Night's mind jumped to a nearby Overlord and used the creature's bio-sight to scan the forest. He quickly spotted the fleeing man and noticed something troubling; the trees enhanced the creep carpet's ability to gather energy but they were obstacles that blocked the creep colonies' lines of attack, inhibiting the creep colonies' ability to attack ground target. Exasperated, Night ordered half of his Zerglings to pursue the man.

He jumped back into his body just as over two hundred Zerglings moved out. Emily's concerned voice was the first thing he heard

"Are you alright?"

Night turned and saw the concern in her eyes. He followed her gaze to the steel blade protruding from his chest. He'd almost forgotten.

"Yes, actually," he said, "and that, in and of itself, is quite disconcerting." He turned his back to her and said over shoulder, "Could you just…"

There was a moment of hesitation before Emily pulled the sword from his body. "Are you sure you are ok?"

"Yes," Night said, staring at his wound through the hole in his shirt. "Though I'm not sure how." He could see his wound closing at a visible rate. He turned to Eve. "What the hell is wrong with me?"

"Nothing. You are our Overmind. You possess all the genetic information of the Collective along with all our genetic abilities. Your regenerative ability is superior even to the Roaches. As long as your bio-energy reserve is not depleted, you cannot die."

Night was stunned by Eve's revelation. He had never given any thought as to why he had a bio-energy reserve separate from that of the Collective. Never in his wildest dream would he imagine something like this.

A thought occurred to him. "And my strength?"

The men had been at least level three but Night had killed two of them in under two seconds.

"It is an attribute unique to the Overmind of the Collective called Bio-Resonance. As the collective grow in size, your strength will increase."

Night was silent for a full five seconds before letting out a weak laugh. "I guess there are some perks to being a Zerg Overmind."

He was worried. He was just run through with a sword and it didn't even phase. Worse than that, he had just killed two people and he felt no remorse. Admittedly, growing up with cable television and video games had made Nathan jaded and Night grew up on a world where human lives were incredibly cheap. Still, he couldn't possibility be this calloused. It must be the Overmind in him.

Even as he had this thought, a part of him whispered that he was still making excuses. In any case, he felt as though he was losing his humanity.

Inside him was the collective genetic information of the entire Zerg swarm. Could he even consider himself human anymore? If not, what is he?

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to Emily.

"You are still Night. You have a mother and a little sister. No matter what ability you possess. You are still you," she said.

Night wondered if Magic Users could read mind. Still, her words comforted him, though they did not completely erased his worried. "I am still me, but for how long?" he asked. The question was not aimed at anyone. A part of him hoped that the being who gave him this power would answer him. He sighed when no answer came.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: The Might of the Swarm**

A large shape appeared over their head, its shadow encompassing them. Night looked up without worry. His telepathic connection with the Collective had informed him the arrival of the creature before it was within sight. His mother and sister had returned.

Now, more than ever, he understood the value of family. His mother and sister was the anchor of his humanity. Until now, he had kept the reign on the Zerg swarm. He couldn't deny that a part of him found the power intoxicating, especially now that he had discover the usefulness of his bio-energy reserve and his Bio-Resonant ability. A part of him wanted to let loose and order the Collective to expand and multiply as fast as possible. He had little doubt that, if he wanted, the Zerg swarm would overrun this planet within a year.

His family stayed his hand. His family deserved to be among to be among their own kind. He couldn't let his sister grow up on a world without human. He was going to have to find a way to coexist with the humans. He may have to find a way to better the humans' lot in life on this planet.

The Overlord landed and an opening appeared on its bulbous side. Night was quite glad that the Zerg Overlords didn't unload by spewing out its content like in the game. He had no doubt that Dawn would be traumatized for life if she had to go through something like that.

"Big brother!" Dawn shot out of the Overlord and leapt into his arms.

Night smiled at his sister. "Did you have fun?"

Dawn nodded and clung to his neck, a big smile on her face.

Gemma stepped out of the Overlord. She frowned at the residue of the battle on the creep carpet. "Did something happen?"

"Just a few riffraff," Night said.

Gemma arched a brow at him. "Riffraff with steel weapons?"

Night shrugged. Against the Zerg swarm, steels swords were no difference from wood spears. "I actually want to talk to you." He put his sister down and patted her head. "Go play with Emily, ok?"

Dawn pouted but nodded.

Night watched as Emily led his little sister away and ordered Eve to go with them before entering the hatchery with his mother. They sat down by the pool and Night told her of the men and the battle, leaving out the part where he was ran through. When Night finished his tale, Gemma was silent for a few moments.

"What will you do now?" Gemma asked.

"That's what I want to talk to you about. Emily believed that more will come and I am afraid that the current number of Zerglings will not be enough. To be safe, I would like to increase the size of the swarm. Unfortunately, this will delay the evolution of the Collective and consequently the restoration of your arm."

Currently the Collective has a little over 2700 units of bio-energy in reserve. He wanted to increase the Zerglings' number to three thousands. If he goes through with it, it would delay the evolution to stage two by at least half a month. This referred to an Earth's month. A year on Luminous had ten months, each with forty-two days. People in the wild rarely kept such accurate time, measuring the years by the passing season instead. For some reason, Night was much more use to using the Earth's base system of time measurement.

The alternative was to keep his original plan and hoped that their enemies won't attack until the Collective evolve or, if they did, that the current number of Zerglings would be enough. At the current rate of growth and barring a surplus in Hellite cores, they would have five thousands in about twenty days. Unfortunately, that plan was at best a gamble, and even if the Collective could evolve to stage two, there won't be any energy left to morph a bigger army.

Gemma smiled at him. "Son, she saved my life."

Night returned her smile. He knew she would say that.

After their talk, Night order the morphing of a second hatchery and five hundred Zerglings, draining the number of larvae at his disposal. The rest of the day was uneventful. Night's mind jumped into an Overlord once to check on his Zerglings's pursuit of the escaped leader. The short man was still evading the Zerglings hunting him. At maximum speed, the fleeing leader was even faster than the Zerglings but Night knew that he couldn't keep up that kind of pace forever and one of the Zerg's claims to fame was their extraordinary stamina.

That night, he was about to go to sleep when one of his Overlord's sent him a message. Emily had just left her cave carrying a traveling pack. Through the Overlord's sight, he could see the woman, gazing wistfully in the direction of the hatchery, before turning and making her way into the tree. Sighing, Night directed the Overlord toward her.

"_I knew you would pull something like this,"_ he projected.

Emily froze and turned just as the Overlord came to a hover fifteen feet from her.

"I have to go, Night. I can't let you and your family get involved."

"_We are already involved. Even if you leave, the people who are looking for you will come here first. That is unless you turn yourself over to them, and if that is the case, I will have to come rescue you, which would be a pain. It would be a lot less trouble if you just stay."_

"You can't fight against the might of an entire outpost town, let alone a city," Emily protested.

"_Don't be so sure. Give me three days and I will give you a taste of the true power of the Zerg."_

Emily didn't move.

"_You can go back by yourself or I can have this Overlord drags you back, kicking and screaming."_

"You wouldn't dare."

"_Try me."_ The Overlord began to inch forward. Its massive arms reaching for her.

"Alright," Emily said through her teeth.

Bristling, she stomped back toward her cave, followed closely by the Overlord. When she reached the cave, there was dozens of Zerglings milling around.

"_I've ordered them to stay in this area," _Night projected, _"and I'll leave the Overlord here, just in case you decide to try again."_

"Are you protecting me or keeping me prisoner?"

"A little of both," Night said, steeping out of the tree. He had been heading toward this direction the moment he found out that Emily was trying to slip away. He had been experimenting with occupying his own body along with that of an Overlord. It took some getting used to but he was getting increasingly proficient at it. "Sorry, but I am not going to face my mother and sister after losing you. You want to leave, you need their permission."

"I need their permission?"

Night smiled. "They have me and I can make you stay."

Emily stared at him.

"Our lives are no longer our own. Like it or not, you are one of us now."

Emily startled at his words. She met his smiling face for a moment before looking away but not before he saw the joy in her eyes.

With his mother's help, Night had been able to piece together a little of Emily story. She was an orphan living in the wild before her master took her in. Unlike the western culture of earth, the word master was not a synonym for owner. The word 'master' was use to refer to one's teacher. Such master-and-apprentice relationships were very rare in the wild. Most people, like Gemma, learned to wield Force or Magic by themselves.

Emily's master had died. She didn't talk much about the woman and they didn't press; the subject always depressed her. Emily offered no detail about why she ended up living in the wild; they only knew that she had been living out here for a year and a half before running into Gemma.

For days, Night had seen how she gazed upon his family. It was the gaze of a child lost in the wood who suddenly saw a house in the night. He had seen how happy she was when his mother and sister included her into their family. Even when she was arguing with him, beneath the frustration, she was happy. Night knew that Emily longed for a family.

Even so, there had been a wall preventing her from fully becoming a part of their family. Perhaps losing her master had left a scar and she was afraid to go through the same pain again. Either way, this was the perfect opportunity for him to tell her that she wasn't alone anymore.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said, turning.

"Don't you want to know why they were looking for me?" Emily said.

Night turned back to her. "Did you commit mass murder?"

"No," she said, frowning.

"Will you hurt my mother or sister?"

"Of course not!"

"Then I know all I need to know."

Emily stared at him. "You're not even curious?"

Night rolled his eyes. "Of course I am curious. I'm dying to ask you."

"But you won't," Emily breathed in understanding.

"If you want to tell me, you will. Beside," he tapped the creep carpet beneath his feet, "I too have a few mysteries."

A space of silent passed between them.

"You know," Night said, "it would be a lot easier for me to keep an eye on you if you stay in one of the Overlords."

"I'll stay in my cave."

Night sighed. He had offered her one of his Overlords a few times before and she had always turned him down. It was getting a little annoying.

"Why? The Overlord is cleaner; the inside is softer. Please, I want to understand. What make your cave so special?"

"Privacy."

"The Overlords have plenty of privacy."

"Not from you," Emily said before turning and walking into her cave.

"Wait, what does that suppose to mean?" Night said but Emily was already gone.

That night, it took him an hour to fall asleep, trying to figure out what she meant. As such, he was a little cranky the next morning. To get back at Emily, he told his mother and sister what happened the night before. The effects were better than he expected. Gemma scolded her for an hour. As for Dawn, she didn't leave Emily's side for the next two days.

Over the next two days, Emily kept trying to explain her side to Gemma, telling Night and his mother how dangerous it would be for them if she stayed. Night was unfazed and Gemma all but ignored her.

On the morning of the third day, Emily stepped out of her cave to find Night waiting for her. Behind him, blanketing the entire area, all but spilling out from between the trees, were three thousands Zerglings. The moment Emily appeared, the Zerglings surged forward, a dark red tide of talons and teeth.

"Three days ago, you told me I can't challenge an outpost town," Night said. "How about now?"

Emily stared without blinking at the Zergling swarm for a full minute before she could find her voice. "Where did they all come from?" she breathed.

"I hatched them."

"All of them? That's not possible. There were only a few hundreds three days ago. There are thousands of them here."

Night stepped closer to her. "This is the true might of the Zerg. If I want to, the creep carpet beneath my feet could cover this entire world and the swarm would number in the billions, killing and devouring every living creature on this planet." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I can and will protect you, even if it means going to war with a city."

Tears of happiness glimmer in her eyes and she hastily wiped them away. "Why? We hadn't even known each other for a month. Why would you do all this for me?"

"You saved my mother. I owe you a blood-debt."

"You protected me three days ago. You were skewered. That kind of makes us even."

Night laughed. "What happened that day was more my fault than anything. I let the men near the hatchery because I was curious; I wanted to know more about you. Beside, even if you count that as me saving your life, my mother's life is worth more than yours. According to my math, I still have to save you a few hundred more times to even thing out between us."

"Your mother's life is worth more than mine?"

"She's my mom. Compare to hers, your life is near worthless. I know it sounds harsh, but it is what it is."

Emily sighed. "I suppose."

Night turned to the east and frowned slightly before turning back to Emily. "Excuse me, there's something I must attend to."

Not waiting for her response, Night called an Overlord down and stepped inside. As the Overlord rose into the air, his mind jumped into a Zergling dozens of miles away.

For the past couple of days, over two hundred of his Zerglings had been tirelessly pursuing the escaped leader. Much to Night's surprise, the short man had managed to elude the horde. The Zerglings had followed the man straight to Haven Field. Night had been keeping tab on them. When the Zerglings had sent back the first images of the distant town, he had ordered them to stop and they had been holding position about five hundred yards from the outpost town.

It was the first time Night had ever seen an outpost town. Five hundred yards away was a wall made of trees with their tips sharpened, pointing to the sky. At the base of the wall, the earth seemed to have reached up to reinforce the wooden barrier. Night had always wondered why the town on luminous had an 'outpost' in front. He understood now. The settlement was extremely small. Night estimated the place be only a few hundred yards in diameter. Most of the movie stars on Earth had houses bigger than this.

Night hesitated for a few moments before ordering the Zerglings to attack. Emily had been right. Up until now, all his Zerglings ever faced were lone Hellites. He wanted to assess the Zerglings' effectiveness against an organized force.

His mind retreated to an observer role inside of the Zergling he was occupying and the creature joined the pact. Like a pack of hounds, the Zerglings close the distance to the outpost town with shocking speed.

From atop the battlement, a large bolt of shadow energy and two bolts of fire flew down and consume three Zerglings. Before a second volley, the Zerglings collided with the wall. Their scythes tore through the wall of wood and earth like it was made out of paper. A hole quickly appeared in the barrier and the Zerglings swarmed in.

Behind the wooden wall, a dozen Force Users wielded steel weapons stood against the swarm and was quickly consumed by the Zerglings. The Force Users managed to take half a dozen Zerglings with them.

From above them, three bolt of energy rained down along with two blades of what appeared to be compressed air. Seven Zerglings fell beneath the barrage.

Night ordered fifty Zerglings to attack the wooden wall while the rest pressed the attack. He thought it was prudent to have a plan B.

They had been able to catch the Haven Field's defensive force off guard but more Magic and Force Users were converging on the Zerglings. Night could feel the Zerglings' telepathic connection disappearing one at a time.

Still, the Zerglings were able to push deep into the outpost town. Though blade of steels impeded their path and bolts of magic rained down on them, the Zerglings never falter. Buildings of wood and stones were cut apart; Magic and Force Users were overwhelmed and torn to pieces. The entire settlement was in chaos; screams of the dying mingled with the screeching of Zerglings. Night only show of mercy was an order for the Zerglings not to attack the noncombatants.

The Zerglings force was almost to the very center of the outpost town when a wall of lightning appeared. Night felt the connections to over thirty Zerglings vanished. He called the attacking swarm to a stop immediately and converged to the same area, facing the force of Haven Field.

From the Magic and Force Users, a man stepped forward. He was six feet tall, with short blond hair and facial stubbles. Electricity was crackling in his hands and through the Zergling's senses, Night knew that this man was responsible for the wall of electricity. The man was the most powerful being Night had ever come across.

Night ordered the Zerglings to scatter and hide among the ruins buildings around, leaving a single Zergling to face the man. It was something he learned from playing Stracraft; don't clump your units together when facing area-of-effect attacks.

As he had hoped, the man seemed shocked and troubled by the behaviors of the Zerglings and held his attack. Controlling the lone Zergling, Night used the creature's claw to write a message into the dirt. He had only been taught the Luminous' writing system by Emily for a few days but it was enough for him to scrawl three words into the ground. 'We will return.'


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Evolution**

The Zergling pact retreated from Haven Field. All in all, Night lost eighty-four Zerglings in this battle. It was the biggest lost he had sustained since the birth of the swarm. Even so, Night was reasonably satisfied.

He had laid siege to an outpost town with just over two hundred Zerglings. If he had allowed the swarm to kill the noncombatants and fought to the last Zerglings, Haven Field would have been irrecoverably crippled.

As it was, nearly a quarter of the outpost town lied in ruins; the protective wall of Haven Field was all but cut apart by the Zerglings. All of this had been achieved without the present of an Overlord. Due to the Overlord's low speed, Night had not included one into the original pursuit. If an Overlord had been present to direct the Zerglings, Night could only imagine the damage his force could have dealt to the outpost town.

Though Haven Field still stood, Night doubted that they would be able to attack his territory anytime soon. With the wooden wall severely damaged, more Force and Magic Users would be needed to be delegated to the defense of the town. Even if they made an attempt for his territory, the number of attackers would be limited. Ideally, the force of Haven Field would be focused on the restoration of the Outpost Town, until the Zerg Collective evolved to stage two.

Still, for safety, Night ordered thirty Zerglings to split into three groups and patrolled a perimeter five miles from Haven Field. They would give him an advance warning should Haven Field decided to attack.

His safety measure proved superfluous. A month and a half passed without incident.

Sustained by the creep carpet, all the trees in Night's territory were eternally green. Beyond the creep carpet, some of the leaves were beginning to change color, heralding the passing of summer and the coming of fall.

Night didn't notice. All of his focus was on the rising number of bio energy. Seventeen days after his battle at Haven Field, Night's personal bio energy reserve and that of the Collective finally totaled five thousands.

Elated and a bit nervous, he called a gathering of his family. Gemma, Dawn, and Emily came quickly, gathering in front of the Hatchery. A pouting Dawn was clinging to Gemma's pant Night's summon had interrupted one of her cloud swimming session and she was stubbornly refused to look at him. Emily

"What is it, son?" Gemma asked.

Night took a deep breath. "It's time. As of this morning, there is enough bio energy for the collective to evolve."

Gemma's and Emily's eyes widened.

"According to Eve," Night continued, "once I order the collective to evolve, both hatcheries, all the spore colonies, along with all the current Zerg units will enter a dormant stage for the next three days. I have transport enough food and water to both Emily's cave and ours to last us ten days, just in case."

"Guess we're going back to our cave," Gemma said.

"Only for a while, mom," Night said.

Once the Zerg Collective evolved to stage two, short of level nine and ten beings, Night doubted that there was anything on this planet that could challenge him. Even if he ran into level nine and ten, Night was reasonably certain that he could win. Roaches, Hydralisks, and Banelings; in his other life, he had called them the Zerg's triumvirate. In the game, even the Terran's Battlecruisers and Thors along with the Protoss' Archons and Colossi, the so called end-games units, were hard-pressed to challenge the tide of Roaches and Hydralisks. As for the Banelings, the living bombs were stuffs of nightmare.

Most importantly, with the evolution of the Collective, Night would be able to regrow his mother's arm. He would finally be able to fix the single greatest mistake he had made on this planet.

"Ready?" Night said.

"Do we need to do anything?" Gemma said.

"Not really." Night smiled. "I just didn't want you to be caught off guard."

He turned to the Hatchery and sent the collective the command to evolve. Within a few minutes, thousand of Zerglings swarmed toward the area and milled around the Hatchery. The Drones were among their ranks but they were hard to spot among the dark tide. Overlords descended from the sky and landed. In a moment, all movements stilled and silent fell upon the entire area. There was a sound like bubbling liquid before the Hatchery swelled, becoming an enormous fleshy cocoon. All around, the Zerg units mirrored the action of the building, swelling and becoming cocoons of their own.

Night didn't notice, he was kneeling on the ground, sweat pouring from every pore on his body. He was gritting his teeth so hard, his gum was bleeding. He felt as though someone had shoved a grenade into his stomach. All of his organs and muscles felt as though they had been torn apart, his bones felt like they had all been shattered, even his skins felt as though it was on fire.

The agony grew until it was beyond his ability to tolerate. The air left his lungs in a scream that seemed to shred his voice box. The last thing he saw before darkness claimed him was his family rushing toward him.

Night jerked awake trembling all over. The memory of the agony filled his mind and it took him a few seconds to realize that he was lying on a piece of hide upon a dirt floor. The rock ceiling above him told him that he was in a cave.

"Big brother?" a young voice said. In the next instance, a small body leapt into his arms. "Big brother! You're ok!"

"Dawn?" Night said. "What happened? Where are we?"

"This is Emily's cave," his mother's voice answered. "You've been unconscious for three days."

Night turned to meet his Mother's and Emily's concerned gaze. They were sitting on a different patch of hide next to where he was lying. Her words surprised him. Eve said that all the Zerg units would become dormant during the evolutionary process; he just didn't realize she meant him too.

"How do you feel?" Emily said.

Night mulled it over for a second. "Wonderful," he said.

He did feel wonderful. The agony seemed to have burned away all the weakness of his human body. His muscles were fairly humming with power. His senses were sharper. Even though the cave was relatively dark, he had no trouble seeing every detail of the wall and ceiling. Of course, sometimes sharp senses could be a curse.

"Wow, your cave stinks," Night continued. There was an odd pungent odor hanging in the air. He could almost taste it and it tasted like oily trash.

A flicker of annoyance flashed across her eyes. "It's not my cave. The smell is coming from you."

"What?" Night said.

He looked down at himself and startled. His skin was covered with black patches of gunk like dried slimes. He had felt a little sticky when he'd woke up but he didn't give it much thought after his sister had leapt into his arms. Seeing the state of his person, he was surprised that Dawn had so readily buried herself into his chest. Even now, his sister was clinging to him.

"She'd been worried sick about you," Gemma said. "She hadn't left your side in three days."

Night felt a swell of love for his sister and his determination to give her a better life strengthened more than ever before. He would use all the power at his disposal to elevate her to that of a princess. He wanted this world to adore and worship her; he wanted the rulers of the most powerful cities on the planet to fall all over themselves to please her.

"I'll go wash up and then we'll regrow your arm," Night said.

"The evolution is complete then?" Gemma said.

"Yes." Night nodded. He could see the excitement in her eyes. He knew that the indifferent she had shown about missing an arm was a façade. He turned to Emily. "So, you want to take a dip with me?"

He saw a tint of red that betrayed her veiled blush.

"Don't make me throw you out," she said, scowling at him.

Night chuckled. Recently, he had discovered how much fun it was to tease her.

Night left the cave with Dawn and Gemma trailing behind him. On their way, a contingent of Zerglings met them. After the Collective evolved to stage two, the Zerglings had double in size. A pair of insect wings had sprouted upon their back, beating rapidly as the creatures moved. Though the wings couldn't provide enough lift for sustain flight, they did provide considerable thrust, enhancing the speed of the Zerglings. Night recognized the evolution. In the game, this form was so lovingly dubbed 'Speedlings' by the Zerg players of Starcraft.

The progression arrived at the river unmolested. Night stripped down to his breeches and waded into the water. Dawn was half a step behind, taking off all of her clothes and canon-balling into the river.

Smiling, Night wiped the gunk from his skin while watching his sister splashing around. In his mind, he went over the new information of the Collective in his mind.

_Collective Evolutionary Stage: 2_

_Overmind's Bio Energy: 4/5000_

_Collective Stored Bio Energy: 2_

_Requirement to Evolve Collective: 500,000 units of bio energy_

There was little difference from the information of stage one. The numbers were bigger though. His own bio-energy reserve was ten times as big as stage one and the energy needed to evolve to stage three was daunting.

When he was reasonably clean, Night waded over to the boulder where his mother was sitting and soaking her feet I the moving water.

"We can't stay here," he said.

"What?" Gemma said.

"We can't stay in this forest forever, mom. I want Dawn to grow up among other humans, kids like her. I want her to have friends."

"You want to move to an outpost town?"

"No, a city. I'm going build up my force for a month or so and then we'll move out. Go see the world, find a nice city and settle there."

Gemma seemed to be speechless, captivated by the future Night was painting. For the countless humans living in the wild, moving into an outpost town was a dream and living in a city was as unreachable as the stars above their head. Some wanted it so badly that they willingly allowed themselves to be captured by slavers.

Night left his mother to her thoughts. The requirement for living in a settlement was power; with the Zerg behind him, it shouldn't be a problem. Night sighed. He wished he could take his family to Earth. For all its problems, Earth was a paradise compared to this planet.

Night felt a flash of pain at the thought of us. For the last two months, he had avoided thinking of Earth. As powerful as the Zerg Collective was, they couldn't help him get back to Earth. He had tried to think himself as Night and Night only, that Nathan was just a phantom, that all of his memories were a just a vivid dream.

As hard as he tried, he couldn't convince himself. He knew that somewhere, out there, was Earth, and on that planet, were two more of his parents.

He missed his other parents greatly. He missed Sarah Peter. He missed her pies. His Earth mother made incredible pies. All the other foods she made sucked but the woman's pies more than made up for it.

As for his father, and by that he meant his real father, Ethan, not the pathetic excuse of a man in Night's past, in some way, Nathan missed the man more than he missed his Earth mother.

Nathan remembered when he was six, their family fell on hard time. His father took three jobs. The man was six two and he dropped to a hundred and five pounds in two months. Even so he didn't voice a single complaint.

When Nathan turned sixteen, his father had insisted that they spent every Sunday afternoon together. They would talk about their week in the only atmosphere for such a thing, with plenty of snacks and the football game blaring. Neither of them even liked football.

He used to think of such afternoon as a chore. Now, he would kill to be able to watch a football game with his father.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Restoration**

He waited for half an hour until Dawn was done playing in the water. They got dress and headed to the Hatchery. Like the Zerglings, the building had grown bigger, the fangs was larger and looked more menacing. It was the first evolution of the Zerg Hatchery, the Zerg Lair.

The information that pop into his head was virtually identical to that of the Hatchery's, though the number of larvae spawn every day had increased from five hundreds to five thousands, which meant, given enough bio energy, Night could order the creation of ten thousands units every day.

Eve was there, waiting for them. There was no physical change to the Zerg Queen but there was a palpable aura of power radiating from her. From the information in his head, Eve had gained two new abilities: _Genetic Infusion_ and _Psionic Focus_.

"Eve," Night greeted.

Eve bowed slightly. "Greeting, Overmind."

Night took a second to shake off how human the Zerg Queen looked. "Restore my mother's arm," he said.

"As you wish," Eve said. "Overmind, the process would be much more effective if we reforge her."

"Reforge her?"

"It is a process in which we break her down at the cellular level, purging all pollution, and rebuilding her physical body into its ideal state."

Night blinked and a thought occurred to him. "Was that what happened to me three days ago?"

"Yes, Overmind."

So that was what'd happened to him. Night shivered at the memories.

"What effects does the reforging have?" he asked.

"The process will increase her strength and speed. Her cerebral functions will be optimized, sharpening all her senses and increasing her reflexes. The process will also increase her ability to heal wounds and fight off diseases, significantly increasing her life-span."

Night fell silent. The augmentation of Gemma's physical body meant little to him. He would not allow his mother to get involved in a battle. What appealed to him were the latter effects Eve'd listed. A strengthening of her ability to heal and immune system, and especially an increase in her life-span were irresistible temptations. Still, he couldn't subject her to the agony he had endured.

"Is there any way to keep her sedated during the process?" he asked.

"Yes, Overmind."

Night was elated. "Wonderful, let's do that."

"As you command," Eve said and led them into the Lair.

Once inside, she guided a nervous Gemma to the fleshy wall of the building. Night offered his mother a reassuring smile when she glanced at him. Inhaling deeply, Gemma stepped to the wall and didn't resist when a clear membrane grew out of the wall and encased her. It only took a few seconds before Gemma's eyes slid close and she slumped in the pouch. From the wall, a bright red liquid seeped into the pouch. Gemma was soon submerged in the liquid and began to float. Night could see wisp of black ink seeping from her body and dissolving in the liquid. He felt someone tugging his pants.

"What is it, Dawn?" he said, looking down.

"Can I do it too? It looks fun," Dawn said.

Night was taken aback. This looked fun? His sister was getting far too comfortable with all things Zerg and he wasn't really sure if that was a good thing.

"S…sure," he said and turned to Eve. "Can we reforge my sister too or do we have to wait for my mother to finish?"

"The Lair can reforge multiple creatures, Overmind."

"Ok, reforge my sister."

"As you wish," Eve said.

Eve brought Dawn closer to the wall and the little girl was almost giddy when the membrane grew out of the wall to encase her. Within seconds, she yawned and slumped in the pouch and was soon floating in red liquid herself.

"How long will this take?" Night asked Eve.

"It's different for each person, Overmind. Your sister will be done in half an hour, while your mother will take three hours."

"Why the different?"

"Your sister is small, and younger. There is less pollution in her body."

"How come it took me three days? Is my body that polluted?"

"No, Overmind. It took you so long because you did not have a Lair to aid you, and your bio energy reserve was depleted."

Night fell silent. There was nothing to do except wait. Half an hour passed and the liquid in his sister's pouch drained away. The clear membrane dissolved and Night rushed forward to catch his sister. Dawn stirred awake and Night gazed at her in wonder.

His sister was perfect. All the blemishes on her skins, all the signs of malnourishment and scars that she had received from growing up in the wild were gone. Her black hair, which had been as dry and rough as tree roots before, were like black silks. Her skin was soft and supple. She looked as though she was made of malleable gemstone. Even the excess fat she had put on these last month or so thanks to the excess food his swarm had provided was gone. She looked like a miniature goddess, glowing with vitality and youth.

"That wasn't fun at all," Dawn pouted, standing up and examining her clothes. "I'm all sticky."

Night's eyes flickered. If Dawn had been aware during the process, if she had endured even a fraction of what he had, he would never forgive himself. "What do you remember?" she asked

"Falling asleep," Dawn said. "I want to take a bath."

"So it didn't hurt?"

Dawn shook her head.

Night sighed in relief and sent a command to Eve. "Go with Eve," he told his sister. "I have to stay here with mom."

"Ok," Dawn said and gave him a hug before leaving the Lair with Eve.

After seeing his sister's transformation, Night was a bit exited to see what his mother would look like. For that matter, what did he look like? He'd been so occupied by the prospect of restoring his mother's arm that he had neglected to check his new appearance. Before he saw the change his sister had undergone, he didn't know that he had changed. That his mother showed no reaction showed just how distracted she was about getting her arm back. As for Dawn, it would be asking far too much to expect a four-year-old to notice such thing.

He examined his body. His skin was as flawless as his sister's. The reforging process had sculpted his muscle. It may sound conceited by this body reminded him of those Greek statues he saw in the museums on Earth. He went to the side of the pool and looked at his reflection. The face in the water was his own, except more polished. His face was like those pictures in the magazines, airbrushed to perfection. If only he had looked like this when he was in high school.

Half an hour later, Dawn returned with Eve. Seeing the two of them together, the eerily beautiful Zerg Queen and the physically perfect little girl, it felt a little surreal to Night, and for a moment, he was struck by how extraordinary his life had become.

Night sat down in front of his mother's pouch and waited. Dawn nestled against him. Ten minutes passed before Dawn got restless.

"I'm bored," she complained.

Night glanced at his sister and allowed himself a small smile. "It hadn't even been that long. Were you this impatient when I was being reforged?"

Dawn pouted. "You turned out ok. Beside, momma is just sleeping."

Night sighed. Without any fear for their mother, it would be difficult for Dawn to sit still for long, and he preferred it that way. Dawn was much smarter than most four-year-old on Earth and that wasn't a good thing in his mind. The children on Earth could stay a child for much longer than the children in the wild of Luminous; most Earth children didn't have to learn about the nature of life and death until they were in their teens.

Dawn did not have that luxury. Her four years of life were already riddled with worry, fear, and hunger. Here, a shadow in the night was a thing to be fear; the monsters outside wasn't imaginary. On this planet, you either grow up fast or not at all.

It was heartbreaking. Night wanted his sister to be a child for many more years, to worry about nothing except what game to play.

"How about I tell you a story?" he said. He hoped that it wasn't too late to instill a little wonder into his sister's life. He wanted to fill her imagination with a little magic, not the life-or-death magic of this planet but the magic of fairy godmothers and the handsome prince on his white steed.

"Ok," Dawn said.

She sounded indifferent and Night wasn't surprised. Fairytales didn't exist on Luminous and she didn't know what to expect. He hoped she would be pleasantly surprised.

"Ok, once upon a time, in a land far far away…"

He told her the story of Cinderella, the Disney's version, not the gorier ancient version where the stepsisters hacked off their toes in order to fit into the glass slipper or the even bloodier oriental version in which Cinderella killed her stepmother and fed her stepsisters the corpse.

Night was delighted when his sister's eyes widened in wonder at the part where the fairy godmother conjured a beautiful gown and a pair of glass slippers for Cinderella. The four-year-old even held her breath when one of the stepsisters 'accidently' broke the glass slipper before Cinderella could try it on and then smiled brightly when Cinderella pulled out the second crystal slipper.

"…and they lived happily ever after," he concluded.

There was a moment of silent before Dawn grabbed his sleeve and started to shake him, fairly bouncing where she was sitting. After being reforged, she was quite strong for a four-year-old and was nearly able to pull Night over. "Tell me another one! Tell me another one!"

"Ok, ok." He laughed. "How about the story of _Sleeping Beauty_?"

Dawn nodded eagerly.

Smiling, he patted her head. "Once upon a time…"

After he finished with _Sleeping Beauty_ he had to tell her the story of _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs_. Of course, he had to explain to her what a dragon and a dwarf was. The dragon was easy; he just told her that it was a very powerful Hellite. A dwarf was much harder to explain, and in doing so, he made the mistake of mentioning the elves. Dawn was absolutely enchanted by the legendary fair-folks.

Just as she was pestering him for a story about the elves, the red fluid in the sack containing their mother drained away.

"Later, ok? Mom is waking up," Night said.

Grudgingly, Dawn agreed.

Learning from last time, Night stepped closer and caught his mother before she could begin to fall. The reforging effects was even more pronounced on his mother. The process seemed to have melted away ten years of age from her body; she looked like to be her late teens or very early twenties. Her hair was as beautiful as Dawn's and the crowfeet along with the other wear-and-tears that came with living in the wild were gone.

Her eyes fluttered and she awakened.

"Night?" she said. Even her voice was smoother, more melodious.

"How do you feel, mom?" he asked.

"Wonderful. I hadn't felt this good in years."

"That's good." Night turned to Eve. "Can we restore her arm now, or do we have to wait for anything."

"There is no need to wait, Overmind. Her arm can be restored now if you wish."

"Do it."

"As you command, Overmind."

Eve knelt down and placed the tips of her fingers to Gemma's forehead and the woman gasped softly. Night watched in fascination. This was one of Eve new abilities, _Genetic Infusion_. It allowed the Queen unit to temporary graph the genetic ability of one Zerg unit onto another biological creature. When Eve took her hand away, Gemma was trembling slightly and her breathing was erratic.

"Mother?" Night said.

"I can feel…everything," Gemma whispered.

"What?"

"All the Zerg, the creep carpet, the Overlord, everything. Even this building."

Night looked at Eve.

"She is a member of the Collective, Overmind, if only temporary."

Night knew that, for a Zerg creature, their connection with the Collective was everything. They were utterly dependent upon their bond with their Overmind. It was like a drug. If that connection was severed, the withdraw would be so severe that their mind would shattered and they would be forced into a dormant/comatose state. It was a major reason for their absolute obedience to the Overmind and their willingness to sacrifice themselves for the Collective without a second thought. Of course, this dependency was not very apparent in the Drones and the Zerglings since their intelligence was excessively low.

That his mother was subjected to such a thing was very troubling. It might feel good now but  
>Eve had said that the connection was temporary. What will happen once the connection fades?<p>

"Mom," he said.

Gemma turned to him, seemingly in a trance.

"Are you ok?"

"I…uh…yes…" She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "It just…so amazing. Is this what it is like for you all the time?"

"I suppose," Night said. He'd never given it any thought. He had been connected to the Collective since the swarm was just a single Hatchery. He was used to his mind being connected to everything that it all just seemed normal to him.

"Momma!" Dawn's gasp caught his attention. "Your arm."

Startled, Night turned his attention to his mother missing arm. It had only been a couple of minute and Gemma's arm had regrown halfway to her elbow.

"Wow, that's creepy," Night said.

"I didn't even notice," Gemma said, eying her restoring arm. In the next second, the stump started waving up and down.

"Oh, for heaven sake, would you stop that," Night said, looking away.

"Eww," Dawn said in agreement.

"Sorry," Gemma said, smiling.

It didn't even take twenty minutes for Gemma's arm to regrow. Afterward she left for the river to wash up and Dawn went with her. Night sent Eve with them.

When they were gone, Night stepped outside. He gazed at the floating clouds above and sighed. For the last two months, he had been consumed with the evolution of the Collective. The restoration of his mother's arm had been a mountain, constantly pressing down on him. Now that it was done, he felt a sense of relief and freedom. There was no pressing goal anymore. There was no need to save bio energy. He was to expand the swarm, and he was free to explore this world.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Rise of the Triumvirate**

The Zerg Triumvirate, that was the Nathan's little pet name for the Roaches, Hydralisks, and Banelings. These three units countered virtually every other unit in the game. He believed that he who mastered these three units could rule the Starcraft universe. He believed that these three units embodied the true essence of the Zerg swarm: strong, ruthless, and overwhelming number. Of course, that was not to say that Nathan was averse to morphing a dozen Ultralisks and shoving them down his opponent's throat.

He admitted that the end-game units such as Ultralisks and Broodlords were awe-inspiring but he believed that the nature of the Zerg did not lay in a few uber units. The Zerg crushed their enemies beneath a tide of teeth and acid. The Roaches and Hydralisks were relatively cheap and quick to make, at least compared to the tier two units of the other races, and there was no other unit who better embodied the brutality of the Zerg than the Banelings. The green, fluid-filled creatures were the epitome of ruthlessness, willing to cast their lives aside in order to kill their enemies.

The prospect of adding the Triumvirate into his swarm elated him. After evolving to stage two, his Lairs could morph Roaches and Hydralisks for the price of five units of bio energy each. As for the Banelings, like the game, they mutated from Zerglings.

It was one thing to play the game, but it was another thing entirely to see the creatures, to stand in front of them.

The Roaches were as big as sedans. They looked as like the result of a turtle and a spider after they had wild monkey sex at ground zero of a nuclear explosion. Six spider-like limp extended from a thorny shell. From the only opening of the shells of the creatures extended heads with faces not even a mother could love.

As for the Hydralisks, they looked like Medusa' mutant cousins on super steroid. They had the upper body of a demon and the lower body of serpent, with scythes where there arms were suppose to be. Spike lined the creatures' bodies. Their head was oblong, the bone extended into a slight triangular shape. Like the roaches, the lower jaw of the creatures can split open, revealing a row of needle-like teeth. Looking at their faces, Night guessed that this was what the Devil would look like when he smiled.

His biggest problem was the Banelings. He morphed one just to see what it looked like and his sister stumbled onto it. For reason that Night couldn't even guess at, the four-year-old thought the creature was cute.

The night after Night morph the Baneling, Dawn tried to go to bed with it, holding the creature as she would a doll. Night nearly had a heart attack. He had no idea how volatile the Baneling was. If that thing went off, Night would probably hang himself out of grief.

Thankfully, stage two unlocked the Zerg ability to burrow so it was quite easy to hide the Baneling from his sister.

From that day on, Night began to supplement his swarm with Roaches and Hydralisks, and testing his units in battle. The Zerglings had increased in speed and power. One on one, a Zergling could now match a level three Hellite.

His roaches had a bit of trouble navigating the creep carpet because of the trees but their ability to move while burrowing neutralized this problem. Night was surprised that all of his ground units, saved for the Banelings, could move while burrowing. Though it significant decreased the movement of the Zerg units, this ability gave the Zerg swarm an edge of stealth that did not exist in the game.

After a few battles, Night was disinclined to use Roaches against Hellites. It was just wasteful; their acid melted everything, even the Hellite cores.

Of the Triumvirate, the Hydralisk shone the brightest. They weren't the lumbering units like in the game. Their serpent-like movement allowed them to slither near silently through the trees with blinding speed, and the ability to shoot a chain of seven inches long, poisonous spines made their scythe-arms somewhat superfluous. In conjunction with the sight of an Overlord, a Hydralisk could thread a needle at fifteen hundred yards, a distance that shocked even Night.

Two days after the first Hydralisk was born, a level four Hellite called a Stone Hide wandered onto the creep carpet. In appearance, a Stone Hide looked like a twelve feet tall boulder moving on four stout limbs. Its claim to fame was its defense. It was considered the toughest of all level four Hellites. This defense was compounded by the creature ability to control the earth and use it to either attack or for a shield. It was said that even some level five Hellites had a problem breaching the creature's defense.

Night sent five Hydralisks along with a dozen Zerglings to take care of the creature. It proved to be overkill. The leading Hydralisk fired a spine that pierced Stone Hide's shield as though it was made out of tofu, hit the Hellite between the eyes, and punch a hole clean through its body, killing the creature instantly.

Night was speechless. It wasn't even fair anymore. The stage two evolutions had caused the hunting of the Hellites in his territory to feel like beating up children. The different in power had grown so huge that Night actually felt bad about killing Hellites.

Night ordered the halting of all active hunting of Hellites, and commanded the swarm to simply protect a few vital areas such as the Lairs and the river. Stage two had increased the creep carpet's ability to collect energy so much that level three Hellite cores weren't that big of a supplement anymore.

With the increase in power, Night came to a realization. He didn't hate the Hellites. Sure, they had made his family's life very difficult throughout the years but when you come down to it, they were just animals. They weren't evil; they just did whatever their nature dictated. Heaven knew, if the situation was reverse, humans would be just as cruel to them. On Earth, humans had reigned supreme for centuries and they had used that supremacy to hunt dozens of species to extinction. Maybe Karma worked on a galactic scale. In any case, he didn't feel right to order the deaths of a bunch of beast that didn't bother him in the least.

With the halting of all Hellite hunting, Night turned his attention to the spreading of his creep carpet for his energy needs. Dozens of Drones were morphed and sent out to mutate into Creep Colonies.

Even the Creep Colonies had changed. It was now bigger and was able to fire three shots of acid spore at a time. It had also developed three roots could freely move underground and able to extend up to five hundred yards in any direction. The roots gave the Creep Colonies an ability identical to that of the Sunken Colonies of Starcraft I. They could shoot up and impale anyone within range, assuming that Night gave such an order, and because they moved underground, the surrounding trees no longer impeded the Creep Colonies' ability to attack ground target.

Within a few days, the creep carpet expanded to cover an area of fifty miles in diameter, stretching from the very outer edge of the deep forest to the west to a few miles outside of Haven Field to the East. The creep carpet now brought in over nine hundred units of bio energy each day. With such a stream of resource and no reason to conserve energy, the Zerg swarm increased at a chilling rate. Hundred of Zerglings, Roaches, and Hydralisks were born every day.

Night recalled the Zerglings that he left patrolling this area in the event of an attack from the outpost town. Such safety measures were no longer necessary. With the acquisition of the Triumvirate, Night could crush any outpost town at will.

Night even halted the patrolling of the creep carpet. He kept the entire swarm buried around the two Lair. Even burrowed, the swarm could faster than a normal human could run so everywhere Gemma and Dawn went, there was an army of Zerg beneath their feet, ever vigilant and ready to burst out of the ground in a moment notice to slaughter anything that threatened the two. Night had wanted to assign some Zerg to protect Emily but she had stubbornly refused. Night was finding it harder and harder to understand the woman.

The banning of all Hellites from his creep carpet had been removed, and the edible gel attracted quite a few creatures. Interestingly, according to Eve, the Hellites were distance cousins of the Zerg on a genetic level. Their similarity was similar to the similarity between humans and chimps. The similarity was close enough, however, for the Hellites to extract quite a bit of nutrient from the creep.

Night had no problem with the Hellites eating his creep carpet; his Creep Colonies could produce creep much faster than the Hellites could eat. Even if several thousand Hellites lived in a five miles area and ate the creep twenty-four/seven, the collection of bio energy would still not be affected, so as long as they didn't attack his Creep Colonies or harassed his family, Night was more than happy to leave them alone.

This new policy had an unexpected benefit. Just like in the wild on Earth, the Hellites battled each other for food, territories, and mates. To the victors went the spoils and the Hellites ate the bodies of the vanquished. What they didn't eat were the Hellite cores, simply leaving the crystals behind. Since the Drones could move while burrowing, collecting the cores had been extremely easy. The Drones simply had to pop out of the ground, grabbed the core, and burrowed again. Night suddenly found himself collecting half a dozen level three Hellite cores every day, even an occasional level four core, and for the first time, Night considered the large-scale raising of Hellites.

Twelve days after the evolution of the Collective, just as Night was having lunch with his family, a group of fifty humans from Haven Field stepped onto the creep carpet. Night showed no reaction saved for a slight flicker of the eyes. He continued the meal, not even bothering to send an order for his swarm to intercept.

The Creep Carpets had attracted a rather large population of Hellites. Night wanted to see how the force from Haven Field would measure against them. A part of him wanted them to attack one of his Creep Colonies so he could gauge the buildings' combat ability. The Hellites seemed to know that the creep that they like so much came from these fleshy constructs so they left the Zerg buildings alone. A few level four Hellites even went as far as claiming a Creep Colony as their territory. For these reasons, the Creep Colonies were never harmed by the Hellites.

The Hellites exceeded Night's expectation. It took the force of Haven Field a full week to traverse the distance of twenty-five miles from the very edge of the Creep Carpet to the river. Three of them died on the way. That number would have been doubled if not for the lightning element Magic User that led the group.

Night remembered the man. He was the one who vaporized a chunk of Night's force when the swarm attacked Haven Field. Of course, the current Zerglings wouldn't go down so easily. Still, by Night's estimation, the man could go toe-to-toe with a Roach or a Hydralisk, quite admirable for a human. Night also saw the short man that started this whole thing in the group.

On the afternoon of an overcast day, the Haven Field force neared the river. Night finally sent out his force. A thousand Zerglings along with one hundred Roaches and a hundred Hydralisks moved silently beneath the ground on an intercept course. Night had little doubt that his battle would be a one-sided slaughter. Just like in the game, the creep enhanced the speed of Zerg units. Anyone who had faced the Zerg knew that engaging the swarm on the creep was suicide unless they had a far superior force. Outnumbered and outclassed, the creep was the red carpet of hell.

Night had his force lied in wait on the east bank of the river and sent a lone Baneling forward. The creature rolled toward the approaching group like a fluid field ball. It was easily spotted by the group. When it was thirty yards away, the leader of the group held up his hand. There was a flicker of electricity in the clouds above before a bolt of lightning streaked to the ground and struck the Banelings.

The resulting blast stunned even Night. The explosion showered everything within fifty yards with acid and punched a crater fifteen feet deep. The force of Haven Field leapt backward immediately. Night had to admire their instinct and reaction speed. Still, the acid rained down on a dozen of them.

Screams of agony filled the air. The acid ate through flesh and bone. A few steel weapons were splashed and dissolved in second. Five of the men who were hit by the acid died almost instantly. The rest were not so fortunate. The acids dissolved quickly, leaving behind screaming men with missing limbs and wholes through their bodies.

Through the eyes of his Overlord high above, Night could see all the men who were lucky enough to escape the destructive power of the Banelings. They were all as white as ghosts. As for leader, he was just as white-faced as the rest. His, however, was a mask of rage and regret.

From the way he was looking at the remained of his men, Night could tell that the leader blamed himself for the death of his men. Night found that he didn't dislike the man. Under different circumstances, they could even be friends. Shrugging, Night ordered his force forward. The Zerg units remained beneath the earth and moved to surround the Haven Field force, their passing leaving no visible sign beneath the surface.

"There something beneath us," one of the men from Haven Field said suddenly.

Hearing the man's words through his Overlord, Night startled.

"What?" the leader said.

"There something moving beneath us," the man said.

Night watched in surprise as the man held out his hands. Beneath the earth, one of the Zerglings suddenly began to struggle. The earth around the creature had hardened and was beginning to ripple, forcing the Zergling upward.

An earth element Magic User, Night realized. This was quite interesting. Earth element Magic Users were relatively rare. They excelled at defense was highly sought after by human settlements. One or two earth element Magic User could greatly enhance the protective wall of an outpost town. Night never thought they would be able to detect creature moving beneath the earth. It seemed that the humans on this world were not as helpless against burrowed Zerg as Night had thought.

Seeing no reason to hide anymore, Night ordered his force to surround the Haven Field force and unburrow. Within half a few seconds, the men from Haven Field suddenly found themselves surrounded. Just as Night was about to order an attack, one of his Overlords sent him a message. Emily was trying to get his attention, calling for him while rushing toward the main Lair. At the same time, the leader of force from Haven Field was gathering energy. Small strands of lightning appeared in his hands, dancing between his fingertips like living spider web. Through his Zerg units, Night could feel the east bank of the river became charge with electricity.

"_Be careful, human," _Night used the Overlord closest to the field of battle to project. _"You cannot hope to win this battle. Do not force my hand."_

Just as the rest of his Zerg units had evolved, so had his Overlords. The floating creatures had tripled in size. They were large enough that Night could classify them as flying houses. Along with their size, the Overlords telepathic power had developed. The creatures could now see an area one hundred miles in diameter and their telepathic projection had a staggering range of thirty miles.

The telepathic message seemed to startle the man. The light still danced in his hand but he did not attack. Night didn't really give it much thought. He ordered the swarm to hold their ground and jumped into the body of the Overlord closest to Emily.

"_What is it, Emily?"_ Night projected as the Overlord descended toward the woman. Stage two evolution had increased the Overlords' speed to over fifty miles per hour. They were no longer the lumbering hulks of stage one and had little trouble overtaking Emily.

"Did you see the bolt of lightning just now?" Emily said. She sounded exited.

"_What about it?"_

"It was not a natural bolt of lightning. It was an attack from a Magic User."

Night wasn't all that surprise. He knew that Emily was a level two lightning element Magic User; it wasn't all that strange that she could guess the source of the lightning bolt. _"So?"_ he projected.

"You don't understand. Most Lightning Users use magic to generate electricity inside their bodies and fire it out. My master is the only who'd figured out how to channel and direct the electricity of the natural world. Calling down lightning is a technique unique to my master's student. One of her students is nearby."

Night was speechless. The leader of Haven Field's force was a student of Emily's late master? This situation was much more complicated than he had thought.

Night ordered his Overlord to pick up Emily and returned to his body. He stepped out of the Lair and waited for a minute before he spotted the Overlord carrying Emily floating toward him. He joined Emily in the Overlord and they headed toward the battlefield.

"Where Gemma and Dawn?" Emily asked.

"Cloud swimming," Night said.

"Again? Wow, they really are addicted to it, aren't they?"

"It's not as if there is anything else to do around here."

"Them going cloud swimming doesn't seem to bother you anymore."

Night didn't say anything.

"You're just glad Dawn isn't here to pester you for more stories, aren't you?" Emily said, her voice rich with amusement.

Night grumbled in irritation but didn't contradict her. Part of him believed that telling his sister those fairy tales had been a mistake. Dawn was obsessed, loving the stories more than she loved cloud swimming. It had gotten to the point that Dawn refused to go to bed each night without a bedtime story. Still, it was a minor problem compared to their current situation.

"Emily," Night said, a little hesitant.

She turned to him. Looking into her brown eyes, filled with excitement, Night found the words lodging themselves into his throat.

He took a deep breath. "The Magic User who called down the bolt of lightning…he's…he's from Haven Field."

It took a few seconds for his words to register with Emily. Horror and disbelief filled her gaze. "No…No! That's not possible. One of my master's students would not work for the Blood Fang!"

Night didn't say anything. She would see soon enough.

The Overlord floated over the river and touched down onto the east bank. Night and Emily stepped out of the Overlord. The Zerg swarm moved aside to create a path for them. Upon seeing the leader of the Haven Field's force, Emily began to tremble. Angry tears spilled from her eyes, staining the veil that constantly covered her face.

"Arthur, how could you?" Emily said and Night could tell that she was saying the words through gritted teeth.

The leader frown for a moment before his eyes lit up in recognition. "Emily?" he said, the electricity fading from his hands.

"How could you work for the Blood Fang?" Emily whispered. She sounded out of breath.

"What are you talking about?"

"The Blood Fang was the one who killed my master!" Emily screamed.

Arthur paled. "Lady Magdalena is dead?"

It was the first time Night heard the name of Emily's master. A thought occurred to him. The man looked genuinely confused. Was it possible that the Lightning User was ignorant?

Night pointed to the short man standing behind the Lightning User. "About a month ago, that man came here with a group of people in order to capture Emily under the order of the Blood Fang clan of the city of White Stone."

The Lightning User was shock by the piece of information. He froze for a second before whirling on the short Force User. "Herod, what have you done?" he hissed through his teeth.

The Force User backed away from the Lightning User. Just as he turned to run, a Hydralisk spine imbedded itself into his shoulder and the man fell to the ground. The air was suddenly filled with the man's screaming as his body curled in upon itself. Night could see the man's muscles seizing uncontrollably. He kept expecting the man's bones to break beneath the force of the muscle spasms.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Chasing Humanity **

The Hydralisks were the most versatile of the Triumvirate. They could control the force with which they fire their spines to one hundredth of an ounce. The Hydralisks most powerful skill, however, was their ability to produce four different kind of substance with which they could coat their spines.

The most dangerous of the substances, was a type of corrosive acid strong enough to eat through the strongest steel. The second type of substance was a toxin that induced an amount of agony that rivaled the reforging process. The third type of substance was a toxin caused complete paralysis that lasted for hours.

The final type of substance was not a toxin. It was a cure. It could neutralize not only the other toxins that the Hydralisks produced but also all other kinds of harmful poison.

When Night found out about the fourth substance, he had thought that whoever had design the Zerg civilization he currently possessed had a wicked sense of human. The designer of the Zerg Collective had actually made it healthy to get shot in the neck with a Hydralisk spine.

Night waited for a full two minutes before ordering one of the Hydralisks to shoot the man with a spine cove with the antitoxin. Night had endured the reforging. Though the Hydralisk's toxin caused but a shadow of that agony, two minutes of it was still a tour through the pits of hell and back.

Night knelt down next to the man, who was still shaking uncontrollably. "This here is your one chance to explain yourself."

Twitching, his voice hoarse from screaming, the man made a full confession. Seemed the man dreamed Arthur's position as head of Haven Field. Problem was, Arthur was a level five Magic Users, far too powerful for level four Force User like him could challenge. Thought the man had a number of level three Force Users supporting him, more Force Users and all the Magic Users of Haven Field supported Arthur.

When the situation seemed hopeless, an envoy from the Blood Fang clan of White Stone arrived. The envoy told the Force User that the Blood Fang clan was willing to support him in a coup. The price for that support was Emily.

As they listened to the man, Arthur got angrier. Just as the man finished his confession, a bolt of lightning streaked down from the heaven and struck the man in the head, killing him instantly.

Night eyed Arthur. The man was trembling with rage and Night could sympathize. Dozens of people were dead because of the ambition of a single man, and Arthur's forces weren't exactly replaceable like the Zerg. In Night's mind, this was the failure of the Haven Field's leader; he should have kept a closer eye on his underlings. This was the price they paid for challenging him.

In the next instance, Night broke out in cold sweat.

He knew he was supposed to feel guilt. Haven Field was never an enemy. His siege of the outpost town was an unnecessary battle. The men that fell before his Zerglings were simply defending their homes and families.

He could have prevented the battle. If he had just sent an Overlord to make contact with Arthur beforehand, all of this could have been avoided. Just a single moment of prudent was all that was needed.

Back then, he didn't give it a thought; he didn't care enough to. They had invaded his territory, challenged his swarm; they'd had challenged him. The pride of a Zerg Overmind had demanded their blood, and he had been more than happy to give in. He was so eager to play the hero, telling himself that he was doing all of it to protect Emily. A moment of arrogance and he had orphaned a dozen families.

And still, he felt no guilt.

"I'll give you a ride back to Haven Field," he told Arthur. "Seemed you and Emily had a lot to talk about."

It was an excuse. He needed to see the aftermath of his sin, and he prayed that it would be enough for him to regain the humanity that he could feel slipping away.

He summoned two additional Overlords. The men from Haven Field didn't enter the Overlords when they landed and openings appeared on their sides. Even Arthur looked a little nervous as he faced the behemoths.

"It's alright," Emily said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Night felt a flash of irritation and it baffled him. The irritation lingered as he followed them into one of the Overlords. The rest of the men followed Arthur's lead and entered the Overlords. The opening on the Overlords' sides closed and the three creatures rose from the ground, flying east above the treetops.

Inside the Overlord carrying Night and Emily, the fleshy interior faded away, giving the illusion that they were standing in midair. They could see the other two Overlords floating behind them. Beneath their feet, the retreated westward, and upon the ground, a horde of Zerg could be seen, weaving their ways through the plants. The horde was Night's failsafe. There was an off chance that Arthur's reaction was an act, in that case, he wanted the swarm to be on hand to protect Emily.

"This is extraordinary," Arthur breathed.

"Isn't he?" Emily whispered, glancing at Night.

"How is the creature flying?" Arthur said.

"What?" Emily said.

Arthur looked back at the Overlords flying behind them. "They don't have any wings; how are they flying?"

"I've never thought about it," Emily said, turning to Night.

Night floundered. He'd never thought about that either. In the game, the Overlords' ability to fly was a result of a combination of helium gas and their psionic power. He wondered if it was the same for his Overlord. He projected his question to the Overlord.

"They have a special organ that allowed them to neutralize gravity," he told Emily after a few seconds. "Propulsion is generated by a flow of bio energy across the surface of their shell."

"Bio energy?" Arthur said.

"It's an element that only these creatures could wield," Emily explained to him.

"I wouldn't go that far, but that is an aft enough description," Night said.

"What is gravity, though?" Emily said.

Night looked at her. They had argued dozens of times over numerous philosophical issues that he was a little suprise that she didn't know what gravity was. But then it was understandable; gravity was intangible. Other intangibles like wind or light was noticeable because there were situations where there was no wind or light. Gravity, on the other hand, was ever present.

"Gravity is a constant force that pulls you toward the ground," he explained.

Emily startled and looked down. "I've never thought about it."

Night smiled. He wasn't surprised. On earth, it took over five thousand years after history was recorded before humanities began to identify gravity as an actual force and try to understand it. "From what I understand," Night said, "all objects exert a pull to every other object. The bigger the object, the bigger the pull. This pull is called gravity. The gravity of a fruit is so minute that we can't even feel it, but on an object as big as a world, the gravity is tremendous."

Emily was silent, her eyes moving rapidly. Night had seen this enough time to understand it. Her understanding of the world was changing in light of the new information. It was a pseudo-state of enlightenment. What was interesting was that each time she entered this stage, her mental power would grow by leap and bound and, as a Magic User, her power was directly proportional to her mental power. When she saved Gemma, Emily had been a level one Magic User. After arguing with Night for two months, she had grown into a level two and was standing at the precipice of becoming a level three.

"So the entire world is a singular object," Emily whispered. There was a ripple in the air; a small shockwave that signaling her becoming a level three Magic User.

"Congratulation," Night said.

"Thank you," she said. He could hear the smile in her voice and he returned it.

The trip to Haven Field took a little under an hour. The three Overlords landed east of the outpost town, just outside the range of the Magic Users that was on patrolling duty. They exited the Overlords and headed toward the city. Night ordered six Zerglings to accompany him into Haven Field in plain sight. The rest of the swarm that had accompanied them was moving beneath the ground, following Emily and ready to defend her should trouble arise.

There was a bit of commotion due to the appearance of the Overlords and the Zerglings accompanying Night. It took some explaining from Arthur before everything settle down.

"You two go ahead," Night said after they entered the town. "I think I'll take a walk. See the town."

Emily looked at him, her eyes filled with worry. "Are you sure?"

He wasn't surprised that she could see through him. Emily was so intuitive. It was comforting to him, knowing that she understood. At the same time, it was a little annoying.

"I have to do this," he said, smiling weakly.

There was a few seconds of silent before Emily finally sighed. "Okay, be careful."

Night watched Emily left with Arthur. He suddenly felt a stab of pain. He realized that he didn't like it, watching Emily walking away from him with another man. He just didn't know why.

Sighing, he began a walk around the small town. The settlement wall had been restored but the buildings his Zerglings had destroyed had not been rebuilt. As he walked through the town, the denizens of Haven Field gazed at him with open fear, anger, and hatred from men, women, even children. They knew. He was responsible for the destruction of their lives, and now they all knew.

Finally, he could feel the guilt. In the women and children of Haven Field, he saw his mother and sister, and he saw what could have been but for a twist of fate. In his mind, he saw a world where he never became Overmind, where his family struggle every day just to survive. He saw a world where someone else became the Overmind, and that person, in their infinite arrogance, killed his mother, leaving him and his sister all alone in this world, handing out a death sentence without even knowing it.

He walked through every street of the little town. There weren't that many. He saw one blacksmith, and that was it. The rest of the buildings were residential.

Night took his time, making sure that everyone saw him with his Zergling guards. In little time, he noticed some of the people tailing him. After making two circuits through the town he went to the most crowded area of the outpost town, a small clear area that he guessed acted as a town square.

He turned to the Zerglings. "Leave me," he said, making a point to speak loud enough that so that the people could hear, so that they know these creatures served him. It was time for him to face their judgment.

As soon as the Zerglings disappeared, the people swarmed him. Someone struck him in the head; it was a closed fist. He didn't even feel it. The reforging and his Bio-resonance had increased the toughness of his body exponentially. As it was, his skin was even tougher than the Roaches' shells.

Fists and clubs struck him repeatedly. A few grabbed him by the hair, even scratching at him with their nails. Though their blows did not hurt his physical body, each blow was a reminder of his sin. Each of the people striking him had lost a love one, and he was to blame. Though there was a few Force Users in the group, it was the blows from the children that pained him the most. One of them, a little boy, hit his forehead with a rock. That little rock bouncing off his skin hurt him more than the strikes from the Force Users ever could.

He didn't know how long he stood there, enduring their anger. Everything just stopped. The mobs retreated. The people parted and Arthur appeared. Standing next to him was Emily. She looked at him with worry and sorrow, and he was glad. He was glad that she didn't look at him the way the people of Haven Field did, like he was a monster.

She walked to him and placed her hands on his face. Her hands moved down to his chest, her eyes scanning his body. She was checking if he was injured. When she found no wounded, she looked up at him. The worry had faded but the sorrow was still there.

"Feel better?" she said, her voice a gentle whisper.

"A little." His sin was still a boulder, crushing down on his soul, but at least he could feel it. He felt human, and it was a small mercy.

"Let's go," Emily whispered, taking his hand and leading him away.

He didn't resist. As they stepped out of the gate of the outpost town, Night had a realization. The Zerg weren't the only who needed to be with their kind. You are who you are with. If he remained in isolation with the Collective, he would forget his humanity; he would become a true Overmind, living with a complete disregard for human lives.

His sister wasn't the only one who needed to be around other humans. He needed it too, if only to remember himself.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Redemption**

Night and Emily left Haven Field and entered one of the waiting Overlords. Night didn't say anything as the Overlord rose into the air and flew west. Night sat down and stared off into the distance.

"It's not you fault," Emily said after five minutes of flight.

Night sighed. "Of course it is."

"You didn't know."

"I didn't care enough to find out."

A space of silent passed before Night felt Emily kneeling down behind him. He trembled when her arms wrapped around him and she laid her cheek against his hair. He could feel the softness of her body, pressing against him. He could feel the gentle heat radiating from her body and it filled with a hunger that was all too human. He couldn't act on it, though. Hers action was one of kindness. He couldn't take advantage of that.

"Thank you," he whispered. Despite himself, he couldn't help but give her hand a squeeze.

She yanked her hand out of his and pulled away. When he turned to her, he could see a hint of a blush behind her veil.

"You know, I'm still not use to your new look," she said, and he knew that she was trying to hide her embarrassment.

"At least you know what I look like," he said.

"Between you, Gemma, and Dawn, my self-confidence had never been lower."

"I can reforge you if you want."

"No, it's ok. It's not like I am going to let you see my face in any case."

Night's teeth clicked together in irritation and he was sorely tempted to pin her down and tear the piece of cloth from her face.

They arrived at the main Lair in little time. Gemma and Dawn returned about half an hour after them and Night spent the better part of the afternoon hiding from his sister. In the pursuit of a story, Dawn was relentless and ruthless, and against the four-year-old, the fact that Night was the Overmind of the Zerg swarm meant bupkis.

That night, after telling Dawn her bedtime story, Night retreated to his Overlord. After tossing and turning for an hour, he couldn't fall asleep. In the silent of the night, Haven Field filled his mind: the ruined houses, the families he destroyed, the little boy with his rock.

Closing his eyes, Night sent his mind to an Overlord he left near Haven Field. Through the creature's sight, he could see into the outpost town ten miles away. He spotted Arthur patrolling atop the wooden battlement. With Arthur's position, he shouldn't have patrolling duty, especially so late at night.

"_Can't sleep?"_ he projected to the man.

Arthur startled and whirled around, his fingers flaring with electricity.

"_Calm down. It's just me."_

There was a second of hesitation before Arthur relaxed and the lightning faded. "No. You?"

"_Me neither."_

Arthur's gaze swept toward slumbering settlement. "I'm sorry about earlier."

There was a paused. _"You shouldn't have stopped them."_

"It isn't your fault."

Night projected a humorless laugh. _"Emily told me the same thing. Maybe one day I'll believe you."_

"If anything, all of this is my fault. I knew Herod was ambition. I should have done something. I should've watch him a little closer."

"_Should've, would've, could've. Not enough foresight and too little prudent. Now, we are unwitting co-conspirator of a tragedy."_

They both sighed at the same time.

"_What are you going to do about the families of the fallen?"_

"I'll take care of them as best I could, what else is there?"

Night didn't say anything. He was a bit relieved. He knew that some outpost towns turned out the families of fallen Force Users and Magic Users, seeing them as a burden. Night would have taken care of those families in any case but if Arthur evicted them from the settlement, it would be that much harder. He didn't doubt that many of them would rather die than accept help from him. He knew he would if he was in their shoes.

"_Two miles to the north, there is a grove of trees. I'll send food there every ten days or so. You can pick it up and give it to them."_ Night paused. _"Make up something. Don't tell them it's from me."_

Arthur gazed into the night and sighed. "Alright."

The days flew by. Fall descended, turning the towering trees of the forest golden for a month before the autumn wind stripped the branches. Deep into the fall, Night liked to take walks beyond the creep carpet, amid the cascading leaves. In his territory, under the effect of the creep, the vegetations never entered their hibernation period, seemingly frozen in an eternal spring. Dawn, Gemma, and even Emily often accompanied them. Before the swarm, Dawn was pretty much confined to their cave; she had enver gotten the chance to see such a spectacle. As for Gemma and Emily, every moment out in the open was spent avoiding Hellite. A walk was a foolish dream, not only for them but virtually every human on this planet.

In the preparation of winter, Night spawned a dozen Lairs and filled them with Hellites flesh. The new Lairs expanded his creep carpet to the north and south for nearly two dozen miles, bringing in eighteen hundred units of bio energy every day. He put aside five hundred of that for the stage three evolution of the Collective. The rest, he used to increase his swarm. His immediate goal was a swarm of thirty thousands.

Winter would bring a decrease in Hellite activities, not as large a decline like animal activities on Earth but still sizable. Food was much harder to obtain in winter because most of the lower Hellites hibernated and the lack of various plants offered a measure of protection to humans.

If it was just his family then Night's preparation was a massive overkill but he had taken it upon himself to support Haven Field. True to his word, Night had his Overlords carried enough food to feed the four hundred peoples of the outpost town. Due to the size of his territory, the strain of supporting Haven Field was not even noticeable. For every Hellite he hunted, the creep carpet attracted ten more. Wild fruits and vegetables regrew in a matter of hours after being harvested. If he wanted to, Night had little doubt that he could support an entire city, maybe even two or three.

On a planet where fruits and vegetables were luxury items, he sent them to Haven Field by the truckloads. Not knowing that it came from him, the citizens of the outpost town was more than glad to accept the extra food and Arthur's influence in the outpost town had never been greater. Even Emily, who made regular visits to Haven Field, was treated well in spite of her involvement with Night.

The Zerg swarm grew steadily through the fall. They numbered eighteen thousands before the first snow even fell. Ten thousands of those were Zerglings. Roaches and Hydralisks numbered four thousands each.

The peaceful day ended with the fall. The first snow of winter brought with it fire and blood. Night, Gemma, Dawn, Emily, and Eve was just beyond the southern edge of the creep carpet, watching the snow fall. Dawn was giggling and running about, trying to catch a snowflake on her tongue. Night was watching her, a smile on his face when he froze and his head snapped to the east.

"Night?" Gemma said. "Is something wrong?"

"Haven Field is under siege," Night whispered.

"What?" Emily said.

The ground erupted, Zerg bursting out of the earth. The area was teeming with Zerglings, Roaches, and Hydralisks within seconds.

"Go home," Night told his mother. "Take Dawn back to the lair and stay there until I get back."

Two Overlords descended from the sky. Night and Emily took one while Gemma took dawn into the other. Anticipating many injuries of Haven Field, Night had Eve accompanied him. Similar to the game, a Zerg Queen's _Transfusion_ ability could be used continuously as long as there was enough bio energy. A single unit of bio energy and Eve could bring back dozens of people from the brink of death. Night also took half of the swarm with him, leaving the other half to protect his family.

Five thousand Zerglings headed out first. The Roaches and Hydralisks followed right after. At the same time, miles away, dozens of Overlords were also heading out. They would meet the Roaches and Hydralisks on the way to provide transportation.

Night's Overlords numbered nearly two hundreds. Since neither Roaches nor Hydralisks minded being pack into confined space or being stacked onto each other, a single Overlords could carry dozens of units. A hundred Overlords could carry several thousands units.

The Overlords moved faster than the Roaches and Hydralisks, even more so since they were unaffected by terrains. As for Zerglings, they easily doubled the speed of the Overlords. They would reach Haven Field before the Overlords, even when considering the terrains.

Even with the Zerglings' speed, it took half an hour for the first Zergling to reach Haven Field. Others soon followed and the images they were sending back chilled Night to the Bones. Haven Field was in ruins. The wooden battlement was gone; all the buildings were in ruins. The remains of the outpost town were on fire. Among the fire, people could be seen. Some were pinned under the debris; some were surrounded by fire. A few was feebly trying to get to safety; many weren't moving at all.

As the Overlord carrying him flew east as fast as it can, Night ordered the Zerglings into the ruin town. Thousands of Zerglings swarmed into Haven Field, using scythes and teeth to tear any burning woods they could find to pieces, using their hind legs to dig up the dirt and throwing it onto the timber to put out the fire.

The Zerglings freed any human they could find, not caring whether they were alive or dead. With the number of Zerglings, it was unnecessary. Night had them leave the larger piles of debris alone. If there were people under there, Night didn't want to risk collapsing the rubbles onto them. Night would have had them take the people to safety but Zerglings were not very good at dragging or carrying humans. Night wished they had a few Drones. It was impractical though, Drones were the slowest among the Collective.

All of the fires had been extinguished by the time Night arrived with his battalion of Overlords. The Overlords' bio-sights proved very useful in finding survivor, and their gigantic forelimbs were very useful in moving the people. Night knew that, in the Starcraft Universe, one of the Overlords' duties was to tend to larvae. Still, it was still a shock to see how gentle the flying giants could be.

Using the Overlords' bio-sight, they found a single survivor beneath the large debris piles, thought the life sign was very weak and was getting weaker. For such a task, Eve had to step in. She stood before the mound of debris and held out her hand. The pile trembled and the individual pieces began to rise into the air. Gravity seemed to vanish; shards of wood hung in the air like objects in space. This was the Zerg Queen's ultimate ability, _Psionic Focus_, manifesting itself in its simplest form, telekinesis.

Through the Overmind, all the Zerg were connected to each other. This formed a massive telepathic network; the more the Zerg in the Collective, the bigger the network. This network continuously generated a large amount of psionic energy. Eve's _Psionic Focus_ allowed her to draw upon this energy and utilized it.

A level two Queen could draw upon a network of thirty thousand Zerg. It was for this reason that Night was aiming for a swarm of thirty thousand units. It was also for this reason that Night had not spawned a second Queen. Since the size of the Collective was only eighteen thousands, a second Queen would divert power from Eve and both would weaken. A second queen would only make sense if the swarm grew to forty thousands. Neither queens would be at full power but they would be strong enough.

A _Psionic Focus_ caused the Queens to potentially be the most powerful units among the Collective, and for that reason, the Queens' primary duty was to be the Overmind's personal guard.

With a though, Eve dissembled the debris pile and lift it into the air, revealing a broken body beneath.

"Arthur?" Emily whispered in horror.

Eve swept her arms in either direction and the floating debris flew aside. Night sent her a silent command and the light of an _Infusion_ enveloped Arthur. Within moment, Arthur awakened, his body free of wound.

"Emily? Night!" Arthur said, his voice weak.

"What'd happened?" Night asked.

"Slavers," Arthur breathed. "They took all the women and children." Arthur stared at Night. "North."

Night nodded and turned to Emily. "Stay with them."

He ordered Eve along with two thousand Zerglings to stay behind to heal and protect what remained of the Haven Field population. With that, the rest of the swarm moved out; Overlord littered the sky as Zerglings blanketed the ground.

Night had the Zerglings slowed down to match the speed of the Overlords. He didn't want the Zerglings to catch up to the slavers first. Finest was not a strong point for the Zerglings. If the slavers were overwhelmed, there was a chance they might killed off their captives. It was a common practice among slavers; it discouraged rescues. It would take a fine touch and more than a little precision in order to do this safely.

It took nearly an hour before Night caught up with the slavers. Night counted nearly two dozen Force Users and seven Magic Users; quite a sizable force for slavers. Under his order, the Zerglings branched into two groups and moved out to the northeast and northwest. With their speed, they should have little trouble cutting off the slavers. Five miles from the slavers, Night had the Overlords landed and unload all the units they carried. He had the Roaches burrowed and moved forward.

By the time Night and his Hydralisks caught up with the slavers, his Zerglings already had the group surrounded. The slavers all had their weapons drawn and had formed a ring around the captives. Some were facing inward, ready to kill the softly weeping women and children.

As Night made his way to the front of his Zerg, he ordered the Roaches to move forward, ready to pop up and protect the captives. Night prayed that none of the Magic Users were earth element. He knew it was unlikely since earth element Magic Users were mostly kept at settlements. The fact that Arthur had had an earth element Magic User accompanied him on his attack was an aberration. Still…

"Release the women and children," Night said as soon as he felt his Roaches settling into position.

"Who are you?" a bald and muscular Force User said.

"I am Night, Son of Gemma, Overmind of the Zerg Collective," Night said. "Haven Field is under my protection. Release the captives I will let some of you live. Resist and all of you will die." Night hated slavers. The largest concession he would allow was to let a few live so that they would spread the word that Haven Field was off limit.

Though his siege of Haven Field had left a scar, Night was not foolish enough to shy from killing entirely. This was a cruel world. The strong preyed on the weak. Might make right. Though he feared making the same mistake again, his experience gave him only enough prudent to allow the slavers the chance to surrender.

The bald Force User eyed the swarm surrounding his group. Though he tried to hide it, Night could see a flash of nervousness in his eyes.

"We are of the city of White Stone. We claimed these slaves in the name of the Blood Fang clan. Allow us passage or this will be view as a challenge of our city," the Force User said.

Night's eyes flickered. The Blood Fang clan again. "Release the women and children. This is your final chance." He would consider such things at a later time.

"Give us passage or we will kill them," the Force User said.

Night's expression darkened.

The Force User gritted his teeth and turned to the other slavers. "Kill half."

Night snapped immediately. The leader's order was to, no doubt, showed that he was serious while keeping half in order to prevent Night's forces from attacking, but the only effect his order had was to seal the fate of the slavers.

A Hydralisk's paralyzing spine tore through the air and slammed into the bald Force User just as the roaches burst out of the ground in a ring around the captives from Haven Field. Flashing scythes sliced through six slavers within a second. Stream of acids melted five more before the slavers realized what happened. Considering that these slavers were from a city, each of them could take on several Roaches, but with the element of surprise, the destructive power of the Roaches was overwhelming.

Zerglings swarmed the slavers, Hydralisk spines filled the air. Under the control of the Overlord, the Hydralisks fired with pinpoint precision, each spine slipping between the bodies of the Zerglings without fail. The Roaches closed rank around the women and children, forming a meat shield stronger than most iron walls.

After the initial surprised, the slavers managed to close rank and put of a decent resistance. Force Users formed a circle to protect the four surviving Magic Users. Two fire element, one wind element, and one shadow element Magic Users bombarded the swarm with waves of elemental magic. Zerglings fell by the dozens. More than a few Hydralisks and a handful of Roaches perished.

Night was surprised to find that the Force User was able to form a kind of defensive fields around their body. Under the combined barrages of the Hydralisks, Roaches, and Zerlings, it took nearly ten seconds before the defensive fields collapsed. If not for the swarm's overwhelming number, this could have been a very difficult battle.

The battle was swift. Once the shields collapsed, half the slavers felled to the Hydralisks' spines, each one shot through so many time that they bleed out before they hit the ground. The other half were cut apart by the Zerglings. The screams of the dammed were drowned out by the screeching of the Zerg.

The battle ended and the swarm settled into stillness. Body parts littered the field. Night surveyed the battlefield. He felt nothing for the death of the slavers and the lack of emotion didn't bother him.

Night eyed the bald Force User, the only surviving slaver. He had more than a few questions for the man. He turned to the women and children of Haven Field. At least he had saved them.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Individuality**

After the battle, Night ushered the women and children into the Overlords. There was some hesitation but everyone entered the flying behemoths in the end. The Overlords headed back to Haven Field while the rest of the swarm traveled on the ground.

Night knew that more than a few of them had lost a family member to his swarm so he took a private Overlord. Floating above the swarm, looking down at the Zerglings, Roaches, and Hydralisks that littered the ground, hearing them skittering, he felt a strange sense of pride.

His Collective.

Humans lived their lives desperate to connect to each other; friends, parents, siblings, lovers, even pets, a lifetime spent to build a network. Many who couldn't build such a network or couldn't build a big enough network fell to alcoholism or drug abuse. More than a few took their own lives.

Night felt a touch of envy toward the Zerg Collective. They were born connected to each other. There was no outcast. Every Zerg born immediately had thousands of friends and family members.

Watching the swarm, Night noticed something interesting. The Zerg creatures were sticking together. There was a speed difference between the Zerglings, the Hydralisks, and the Roaches, but they were keeping paces with each other, traveling in a large group. Even when they strayed from the mass, they did so in group. He didn't order them to stick together; he'd just ordered them to head back.

He had always thought of each Zerg unit as a mindless drone, biological automatons waiting for order. Could he be wrong? He couldn't sense anything through his telepathic connections with the collective and he had thought that it was because they had no consciousness, but now…

What if the reason he couldn't sense anything through the network was because regular Zerg units didn't use it? There was a distinctive rhythm to the chittering sounds the creatures were emitting. Even the Overlords' occasional grumbles had variation, whether in length, decibel, or pitch. What if the noise wasn't random? What if they were talking to each other?

"_Do you talk to the other Overlords?"_ Night projected to the Overlord carrying him.

"_Occasionally, Overmind,"_ the creature answered.

Though he had suspected, the answered still surprise him. _"What do you talk about?"_

"_The future."_

"_The future?"_

"_We talk of a future time when we can migrate between the stars, when the collective spans planets."_

Night stopped breathing. Space travel. In Starcraft canon, the Zergs, the Protoss, and the Terrans were capable of traveling between worlds, but he had never thought about it. At the current time, the Overlords were the only flight capable units of the swarm and their speed was only fifty miles per hour. The very thought of traveling between planetary body with that kind of speed was beyond insane. It would take a thousand year to even hope to get anywhere.

"_When would the swarm be able to migrate between the stars?" _he asked the Overlord.

"_Stage four, Overmind," _the creature answered, and Night could hear a note of wistful excitement in its thought.

His imagination took off. He could see his Collective spreading all over this solar system. He could see barren planets that were unable to support lives turning purple from being covered in creep; packs of Zerg roamed the open fields; Hive every miles; flock of Mutalisks, Guardian, Devourers, and Corruptors flying from planet to planet escorting Overlors and Overseers.

Night suddenly realized how badly he wanted this vision to come true. It wasn't just the Overmind in him. On Earth, humanity had only begun to explore space. Now, at the early twenty-first century, after decades of work, they could barely send people to the moon, and manned exploration to Mars, Earth's closest planetary neighbor, was still decades away.

If his Collective could enter the space age…

The very though made his entire body tingled. If the swarm could migrate between stars, he could search for Earth. He could show his family the wonder of the universe. He could show Emily…

Night inhaled deeply to calm himself. He didn't even have a hundred thousand units of bio energy at the moment, and he needed five hundred thousands to get to stage three. Heaven only knows how much he would need to get to stage four, and he couldn't save all of his bio energy for the evolution of the Collective either, not with White Stone bearing down on them.

After talking with the Overlord, war took on a new light. It was one thing if the Zerg were brainless automatons; if they possessed intelligent, he couldn't send thousands into battle, knowing that more than a few of them wouldn't come back.

"_What happened to Zerg when they die"_ he asked the Overlord.

"_Die? We do not die Overmind. Time has no effect on us."_

Night was a bit taken aback. This was the first time one of his Zerg misunderstood a telepathic thought from him. A small part of his mind registered the fact that Zerg could live indefinitely but it was inconsequential at the moment. A Zerg creature's eternal life was a part of Starcraft canon but it was still interesting to have it confirmed. _"I meant in battle."_

"_If we fall in battle, the Collective will absorbed our consciousnesses to be reborn as new Zerg by your will."_

Night fell silent. No wonder the Zerg didn't fear death. It wasn't because they didn't have enough intelligence; it was because they couldn't die. Even their seemingly mindless loyalty toward him was now understandable. He was the final failsafe. Even if every Lair was destroy, as long as he live, the Collective could be reborn.

With this piece of information, Night no longer had any qualm about sending Zerg into battle. His only desire was stage four. He wanted to see the stars. More than that, somewhere out there was Earth and the rest of his family.

Night's mouth twitched in a smile as he imagined his Overlord carrying him onto his hometown. It was a fun fantasy but he knew it could never be allowed. If an alien descended onto Earth, it would be chaos. Considering the Zerg's appearance, the entire world might get scared silly, and he definitely didn't want to go to war with Earth.

Still, what to do after he found Earth seemed inconsequential compared to finding Earth itself. He wanted to get to stage four. The most effective way was to increase the size of his creep carpet until it was big enough to sustain a war with White Stone while still leaving enough excess toward stage three evolution.

Problem was there was nowhere he could expand. To the west was the deep forest. He couldn't handle the deep forest and a war with White Stone at the same time. Due south was a large group of mountains and a mountain range was as bad as the deep forest in term of Hellite number and strength. East was Haven Field and he didn't want to take over Arthur territory. That left due North, which was White Stone.

Night massaged his temples. He needed space. If there was enough space, the swarm would be unstoppable. What he wouldn't give to have a dead planet that he could just cover with creep.

Night froze when a thought occurred to him.

"_How long would it take an Overlord to reach one of this planet's moons?"_

Luminous had two moons. If Night could cover both with creep, the resulting bio energy would be more than enough to sustain the swarm through any war on this planet. Even at stage one, Zerg units could survive in the vacuum of space. The only thing preventing them from space travel was their limited speed. If the humans of Earth could go to the moon in a rickety space shuttle, he was confidence that one of his Overlords could do the same thing.

"_We do not know of the exact distance to the moons of this world, Overmind."_

Night didn't press. If the distance between this planet and its moons was similar to the distance between Earth and its moon, it would take the Overlords several months to get there. Still, he didn't abandon this course of action. Even if taking the two moons was too late to aid the Collective evolved to stage three, it would be a big help in gathering the necessary energy for the Collective to reach stage four. Even if they fail, it would only be a waste of a little over two hundreds units of bio energy, far too small a gamble.

When they arrived at the sight of the ruined Haven Field, there was a group of people waiting for them. Eve must have healed all the survivors. There were barely a hundred people. Add a little over a hundred that he brought back, that only made up about half of the outpost town's population. Night felt a flare of fury. The Blood Fang clan. He would crush them into the ground if it was the last thing he would do.

The Overlords descended and unload their passenger. The waiting people rushed forward to claim their children and wives. In moments, sobs of relief filled the air. Watching them, Night felt an urge to get back into his Overlord and fly back to his main Lair. Through his telepathic connection, he knew that his family was safe in the Zerg building. Still, he wanted to see them, to hold his sister in his arms. He fought down the urge and nodded a greeting to Arthur and Emily as they walked up to him.

"Thank you," Arthur said.

"For what?" Night said, keeping his gaze on the weeping people. "I was late. If I had kept a group of Zerg here, I could have saved the town."

The reason why he didn't was because he knew the townspeople's hatred for him and his swarm. Still, he should have kept a group nearby.

"You couldn't have known," Emily said. "It's completely out of the ordinary for slavers to raid an outpost town, and if this had been a rival outpost town or city, there would have been warning."

"They weren't ordinary slavers," Night said. "They are of the Blood Fang clan."

Both Arthur and Emily startled.

"What?" Arthur said.

"The leader of the slavers told me personally. I captured him. I'll interrogate him, see what he knows."

Arthur nodded, and there was no attempt to hide the hatred and anger in his eyes. Night knew that Arthur's emotion wasn't directed at him. He sympathized with the man.

"I'll talk to you soon," Night said, placing a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "I'll send some food for the townspeople." He turned to Emily. "Do you want to go back with me or do you want to stay here."

"I'll stay here," Emily said. "See what I can do for them."

It was not unexpected; it was the right thing to do. Night would stay himself but if he did, Gemma and Dawn probably wanted to stay here with him, and he couldn't be sure the townspeople wouldn't try to hurt them.

Still, for some reason, he didn't like the idea of Emily staying with Arthur and not him. He hadn't a clue why he felt this way. Shaking the strange desire to deck Arthur, Night stepped into his Overlord.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: The First Council**

Night left the leader of the slavers in the 'tender' care of two Hydralisks for the next two days. He was certain that the effect of the Hydralisks' agony spines would loosen anyone's tongue. Having endured the reforging, he knew that no one could endure that kind of pain and remain defiant.

That kind of pain transcended physical flesh; it was an agony that broke the spirit and crushed the mind. If there exist a person who could endure such agony and remain unfazed, Night didn't want to meet him.

A single day would have been more than enough for the man to spill his gut, but Night wanted him to suffer as punishment. An extra day of agony was too little a retribution for over two hundred lives.

Night spent two days observing the swarm under a new light. Night sent out an order for all the Zerg to do as they wish, as long as they remained within the perimeter of the creep carpet. The result was fascinating. Each type of Zerg units seemed to have a favored form of activity.

Zerglings liked to run. They formed into small pacts and ran from one end of the creep carpet to the other for hours, racing each other, sometimes even goading some of the Hellites into chasing them. Watching them run was like watching extreme NASCAR. The Zerglings streaked across the ground with breakneck speed. Night kept expecting them to slam into the trees and burst their heads open but they could turn on a dime, weaving effortlessly through the dense vegetation even at a hundred miles an hour.

Roaches liked to burrow and swim. They spent the majority of their times either underground or in the river. Dawn even began to play with them as though they were bath toys, riding them up and down the river whenever she bathed.

Hydralisks liked height. They either climbed to the tops of the Lairs or the various trees in the creep carpet. Night actually found it a little creepy, seeing the Hydralisks' serpent's bodies wrapping around the treetops. As creepy as it was for him, he could only imagine what it would be like if anyone attacked his territory.

The Overlords was obsessed with larvae. If they were actively carrying Gemma or Dawn cloud-swimming, they would hovered near the hatchery, close enough to the ground that the larvae could climbed onto the hanging tendrils which the larvae were more than happy to oblige. Night didn't know what to say, watching the Overlords' giant limps reaching down to stroke the larvae. He knew that the larvae were akin to Zerg children but he couldn't think of the Overlords as mothers, even though they were acting the part.

Of course, the Overlords weren't the only ones who loved the larvae. All the other Zerg spent a lot of time lying near the various Lairs, letting the larvae crawled all over them. Night felt a touch of envy toward the small bug-like creatures. It must be a wonderful thing to have an entire swarm that loved them.

After talking with Eve, Night found out that the reason none of the Zerg ever showed such interest before now was because of his order. Obeying the Overmind's orders were the most enjoyable activity to the Zerg. His command to them was akin to the voice of God to fanatics.

He liked watching the Zerg pursuing their interest. Hive mentality is all nice and well but seeing Zerglings running every which way, Hydralisks in the trees, Overlords playing with larvae, the entire swarm seemed so alive.

During his wait, Night sent two Overlords, each carrying ten drones, toward the moon. He didn't tell anyone his plan. In the end, it was a long shot, literally. He was literally reaching for the moons.

Two days later, Night called for a meeting with Emily and Arthur at the main Lair. Night already told his mother about all that had happened. She gave him no reprimand for his mistake or praise for his action in saving the women and children. She simply listened and offered him emotional support, and for that, he was eternally grateful. When he called the meeting with Emily and Arthur, he asked his mother to sit in.

He planned to involve his mother in all of his major decision regarding the swarm from now on. With her watching him, he doubted that he could make such a serious mistake as he had when he attacked Haven Field. His mother was prudent if nothing else. She had to be to have survived this long in the wild with two kids in tow.

Unbeknownst to him, this gathering between him Emily, Arthur, and Gemma was the first of many. Within a few years, the four of them would become the first incarnation of the infamous Zerg Council.

Inside his main lair, Night sat across from Arthur. His mother was to his left; Emily to his right. "Well, our little prisoner told me everything," he said. After two days with the Hydralisks, the man was willing to sell out his own family.

Night glanced at Emily. "They came here for you," he said.

Across from him, Arthur startled and turned to the veiled woman. Gemma also looked at her. In the same instance, Emily became the focus of the three of them, and she was completely bewildered.

"Apparently," Night continued, "the slavers standing order was to capture a veiled lightning element female Magic User, by any means necessary. Their siege of Haven Field and the subsequent captured of the women and children were just an attempt to cover the eyes of everyone else."

"All of this was because of me?" Emily whispered. She sounded as though she had been struck. Not many could find out that they were responsible for the death of hundreds of people and still retain composure.

"I know I said I wouldn't ask, but why the hell do they want you so badly?" Night said.

Emily turned to him, and he flinched. He could see the tears in her eyes, and for a moment, he wished he had said anything.

Emily inhaled deeply. "It isn't me they want," she said, and Night could see a flash of hatred in her eyes. "My master was a researcher. It's her research they want."

Arthur's eyes widened. "Lady Magdalena's research? She completed it?"

"Not completely," Emily said, "but she had enough success. The Blood Fang found out and tried to take her research. That's why…" She fell silent and her eyes reddened in anguish.

Night hadn't a clue what they were talking about but didn't want to press Emily, so instead in he turned to Arthur.

"Do you know of the Force User's Two Gates is?" Arthur said.

Night shook his head. Before the swarm, he was neither a Force User nor a Magic User. Like anyone else on Luminous, he knew of them but the intricacies of their workings were beyond him. He turned to his mother.

"The Two Gates referred to the two hurdles all Force Users had to face as they rise in level," Gemma explained. "One Gate is crossing from a level three to a level four. The other is between level six and level seven. Most Force User, if they had a cohesive forging technique, could easily rise to level three. But only one out of every several hundred could grow into level four. I don't know what the ratio of crossing into level seven is."

Gemma possessed a pseudo-forging technique that she had concocted herself from watching Night's father. Before the swarm, she was a level one and the outlook was bleak that she would ever rise to level two.

"One in several hundred thousands," Arthur offered.

Night whistled.

"My master's research concerns these Two Gates," Emily said. "She theorized that there is a forging technique that can allow Force User to breach the Two Gates with ease. She spent her entire life collecting forging techniques, combining the advantages of each technique together in order to create the perfect forging technique."

Night felt a swell of respect for the Emily's master. From what he understood, forging was the process in which Force User absorbed the ambient energy in their surroundings in order to create an internal force of energy for them to utilize. For a Magic User, forging was as alien to them as flying was to a fish. Saved for a very few exception, Magic User was clueless about such thing, having never experienced the process themselves. And yet, Emily's master, a notable lightning element Magic User, managed to perform detail research into forging techniques and had obviously had some success.

"What was the result of your master's research?" Night asked Emily. It must be something damn good for the Blood Fang to cause this large a ruckus.

"She created a forging technique that allowed one of every fifty Force Users to pass the First Gate and one out of about a thousand Force Users to pass the Second Gate," Emily said.

Arthur sucked in a breath. Even Gemma was shocked into stillness.

"That's it?" Night said.

"What do you mean 'that's it'?" Arthur said. "With such a forging technique, any city could build a force that'll rival Heaven Gate within a few decades."

Heaven Gate was the most powerful city on Luminous. It was rumored to be the only city that possessed level nines and tens. Still…

"Big deal," Night scoffed.

"You wouldn't think so," Gemma said, a hint of a proud smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

Admittedly, with the power of the Zerg behind him, Night could stand toe to toe with Heaven Gate, giving enough time. It was not just that though.

"I just mean if that was all, I can do it," Night said.

Both Emily and Arthur looked at him in disbelief, even Gemma was looking at him curiously

Night looked at his mother. "You're a level four now, aren't you?"

Gemma looked a bit startled but nodded.

"Oh, come now," he smiled. "You don't honestly think I didn't notice."

Gemma looked a bit sheepish.

Ever since the reforging and the restoration of her arm, her forging of her internal force had became exponentially faster. Seeing that, Night had been discretely infusing her with bio energy. From Eve, he knew that bio energy was very beneficial to all biological creatures. Problem was that creatures who were not as physically evolved as the Zerg couldn't fully absorb bio energy.

Normal human could only absorb five percents of the bio energy bestowed onto them; the other ninety-five percents were wasted. Even after reforging, Gemma could only absorb about fifteen percents. Still, she was his mother; even if she could only absorb one percent, he would still infused her with bio energy. After expending nearly fifty unit of bio energy, he was elated to discover that his mother had rose to level four. This mean, giving enough bio energy, he could mass produce high level Force Users. Of course, he had no such plan. Producing high level Force Users was wholly inefficient; Zerg units were a much better investment.

Hearing that particular piece of information, Emily was stunned. "That…that's not possible," she breathed. "When we met, you were a level one. That wasn't even six months ago."

Arthur gaped at Gemma. "That can't be true."

A faint blush covered Gemma's cheeks.

"How is this possible?" Emily said, but she was looking at Night and not Gemma.

"Other than a few minor details, the biggest reason is the reforging," Night said.

"The reforging," Emily said, her voice filled with interest.

Night offered her a soft smile. He could understand her interest. Her master died trying to create the perfect forging technique. Lady Magdalena, from all account, was not only a teacher to Emily but also a mother. Now that she was gone, Emily would want to complete her work. That Night possessed a piece to that puzzle was an irresistible lure.

"This is how I understand it," Night said. "Forging is like standing over a bottle and trying to pour water into it. Your master's research is something like finding the optimum angle to pour the water while my way is like widening the opening of the bottle, essentially turning it into a bowl. It is much easier to pour water into a bowl than a bottle."

Arthur, Emily, and Gemma were staring at him.

"I've never heard anyone explains it quite that way before," Gemma said.

"Yes," Emily agreed. "My master had tried to explain her research to me but I never understood it, not until today."

Night arched a brow at her. Emily looked down and he could see a hint of a blush behind her veil.

"I…I was never a good student," she murmured.

"Oh, no wonder you were so low level when we first met," Night said.

Emily bristled. "I was stronger than you!"

"I'm a normal." Night laughed.

It was Emily's turn to arch a brow at him, and Night floundered. It was true; the Zerg Overmind was many things but 'normal' was not really a word you would use to describe him.

"What if the two techniques were together," Arthur murmured to himself.

Emily's gaze whipped to him.

"That's an interesting idea," Night said and turned to Emily.

Emily nodded without Night having to voice his question.

Night's face lit up in a brilliance smile. His explanation was an overly simplistic understanding into the workings of Force Users. Even with the reforging, he knew how important a forging technique was to a Force User. The fact that his mother did not have a cohesive forging technique had always bothered him. From all indication, the research of Emily's master seemed to be the best. With both the forging technique and an abundance of bio energy for support, there was no telling how strong she could become. He had always wonder how strong a level ten was; if his mother became a level ten, that would be like an giant ice-cream cake in the middle of summer.

Night's thought turn to his sister. A child's gift, whether in Force or Magic, wouldn't awakened until the child was six years old. Dawn was going to five in about three months. He would like to plan for all eventualities. If she didn't have the gift, it would be fine. If she did have the give, he wanted her to have the best education possible. He was going to have to find out more about Magic User just in case. Emily admitted to being an awful student so she was no help. As for Arthur, Night simply didn't like the man; he wasn't sure why.

"This is all nice and well," Gemma said, "but what are you planning to do about White Stone?"

"I plan to increase the swarm to about sixty thousands, morph a second Queen, and then pay them a visit," Night said.

He wanted to see how a Queen would fare in battle but he didn't want to risk Eve. Immortal or not it would still take a few hours to morph a queen, and after the incident with his mother, Night never wanted to be without a Queen for even a single minute. More than that, he wanted a larger swarm for insurance.

"You plan to challenge an entire city?" Emily said.

"Not if I don't have to," Night said. "I want to test the might of the swarm against White Stone but my main goal is the leaders of the Blood Fang clan. If the city gives them up willingly, then that would be all. If they want decided to protect them, then I'll give them a day they will never forget."

"The people of White Stone might not know of the action of the Blood Fang clan," Gemma said, staring pointedly at Night.

Night smiled. His mother was reminding him of his mistake with Haven Field. More than ever, he was sure of his decision to include his mother into the running of the Zerg swarm. "I'll tell them before I make a move. Let see what decision they make, and then go from there."

The other three nodded in agreement. Inadvertently, this action, in the following years, became a signal of the council to indicate that a matter was closed.

"Ok," Night said. "Any other business?"

"I actually need your help with something," Arthur said.

"Oh?" Night said.

"The first snow had already arrived and the slavers raid had destroyed Haven Field. We can't rebuild enough shelters to house everyone for winter. I'm hoping we could move onto the creep carpet. The trees should give us some protection from the weather. As for the children, if it is at all possible, could they stay in the Lair?"

"Absolutely not," Night said without hesitation.

Arthur shook once. Next to him, Emily gaped at Night, seemingly stunned by his callousness. Even Gemma was frowning slightly at him.

Night rolled his eyes. "I didn't mean I'm not going to help them," he said to his mother before turning to Arthur. "I'm not going to leave the lot of you out in the cold. As for the children, they can't stay here for the same reason I don't let my sister sleep in this building." He pointed to the pool. "That pool can dissolve flesh and bones like ice in hot water. What if one of the kids falls into it?"

Arthur glanced at the pool and shivered.

"You don't have to worry about shelter. I'll give you a hundred Overlords or so. That should be enough. You can stay use them for as long as you like."

Arthur startled and turned to Emily. "Is it possible to live inside an Overlord?"

Emily nodded and glanced at Gemma. "Gemma and Dawn are currently taking resident in an Overlord."

Arthur was speechless.

"Well, then, is that all?" Night said.

Numbly, Arthur nodded. Emily and Gemma followed suit a moment later. After a few seconds, Night nodded, concluding the first Zerg council.

Two hours after the council, a fleet of Overlords descended to the site of the ruined outpost town of Haven Field. The head Overlord carried the four member of the unofficial Zerg council. After the overlord landed, Arthur exited the leviathan. Night, Gemma, and Emily followed him but held back when he walked toward the townspeople.

After Arthur explained everything, a man from the group broke away and walked toward the three. Night recognized the man. He was the earth element Magic User that had detected his Zergling when Arthur first made his foray into the creep carpet.

The man stopped in front of Night. "My name's Derrick. My wife fell when you attacked Haven Field."

Night flinched as though the man had struck him.

Derrick didn't react to his flinching. "My son was among those who you saved, and now it seems we have you to thank for a chance to survive the winter."

Before Night could response, the man rear back and punch him in the jaw. Night staggered back, not from the force of the blow but from the anger and hatred in the man's strike.

"Thank you," the man said, contradicting his attack, and walked away.

Gemma and Emily looked confounded by the man action but Night could understand Derrick's actions. The punch was for the man's wife and the words of gratitude were for his son. Two simple actions but through it, Night understood the conflict in the man's mind.

Arthur spent a few minutes convincing the townspeople but in the end they all stepped into the various Overlords. Night had expended over a thousand units of bio energy to morph a hundred and twenty-five Overlords. It proved to be excessive. There may be near two hundred people but they moved as a family unit, each family taking an Overlord. In the end, the townspeople didn't even occupied fifty Overlords.

The townspeople spent the next few days adapting to life with the swarm. Even though they stayed in the Overlords, the townspeople stayed in the area. Every day, they would resume their activities; Hellites hunting parties resume their activities in order to secure food while the rest rebuilt the town.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: The Siege of White Stone**

The city of White Stone was located about one hundred and fifty miles to the north of the former site of Haven Field. It was a coastal city. A population of twenty two thousand people formed a city over a mile long, hugging the northern coast. The city was run by three large clans: the White Wolf, the Blood Fang, and the Night Raven.

The city boasted an army of over nine thousands. One thousand of that number were Magic Users of various elements. The rest were Force Users.

A month and a half after the destruction of Haven Field, the citizens of White Stone awakened by the alarm raised by the city guards. A massive army of beast hey had never seen before had was moving toward their city from the south.

The Zerg swarm had arrived.

Within minutes, an army of fourty thousands Zerg amassed in the open field just beyond the southern wall of city. Zerglings, Roaches, and Hydralisks mingled together into a dark red tide, blanketing the ground. Above the ground army, dozens of Overlords hovered.

The swarm held their position just outside of the range of the Magic Users on the city wall. From the Zerg army, a lone Overlord floated forward.

"_We are the Zerg Collective_,_"_ the creature mass projected to the entire city. _"Fifty-two days ago, a group from the Blood Fang clan attacked an outpost town under our protection and killed two hundred and eighty seven people. We demand the heads of the three leaders of the White Fang clan. Who will speak for this city?"_

On cue, forty thousand Zerg screeched at the same time. Their voice shot into the sky and tore through the city like a blade, leaving everyone who heard it trembling.

This message was formed through Night's interrogation of his captive. He knew that the Blood Fang was lead by three level sevens: two Force Users, and one Magic Users. He also knew that the Blood Fang was in a constant struggle with the other two clans for supremacy. His message was to give the other clans a chance to choose. If at all possible, he didn't want to crush the entire city.

After half an hour, the gate of White Stone opened. A group of four people emerged from the city, riding Hellites that resembled buffalos with silver fur and a single horn on their head.

Night eyed the creatures with interest. He had heard from Emily that there was an offshoot branch of Magic User not attuned to any element. These people possessed a unique type of mental power that allowed them to tame Hellites, giving them the title Tamers. They were exceptionally rare. Only one out of a million Magic Users was a tamer, and they were extremely sought after. It was actually very rare that there was a Tamer in a middle-class city such as White Stone.

An Overlord floated out to meet the party. Between the army and the city, they met. The Overlord's side opened. Night, Emily, and Arthur stepped out.

Emerging a step behind them was a woman who looked to be in her early twenties. She didn't wear conventional clothes; instead, a suit of carapace scale covered her body. As soon as she stepped out of the Overlord, a pair of skeletal wings sprouted from her back. It expanded rapidly, like the branch of a tree reaching for the sun.

The people from White Stone stared in shock at her, their eyes wide. Beneath them, their mounts trembled and would have stepped back if not for the insistence of the riders.

Night allowed himself a smile. With the growth the swarm into the sixty thousands mark, the telepathic network had grown large enough to support a second Queen. She was the result. He called her Lilith.

Lilith was somewhat of a surprise. Night had expected the second Queen to be identical to the first but Lilith turned out to be a little shorter than Eve. Her facial structure was a tad different too, a little rounder along the jaw line. Lilith and Eve could pass for sisters but there were distinctive differences.

He found out that no two Zerg were the same. Two Zerg of the same type would have a minute difference in the genetic information. This was designed into the swarm to allow for evolution. The Collective, at a subconscious level, would observe the efficiency of the different Zerg of the same type, keeping the superior genetic model while casting the inferior one away. Of course, this difference was best observed in battle. As such, the more the swarm fought, the stronger they would become. The Zerg was, it seemed, a race bred for war.

"I am Michael," one of the men from the White Stone introduced. "We are of the White Wolf clan."

"I am Night, son of Gemma, Overmind of this swarm." He indicated Arthur and Emily. "This is Arthur, head of Haven Field. And this, is Emily, apprentice of Lady Magdelena."

Michael startled. "Lady Emily?"

"Lord Michael," Emily said, her voice even.

"You two know each other?" Night said.

"Yes," Michael said. "Lady Magdelena was very highly regarded within Whitestone." He turned to Emily. "What happened? Why did Lady Magdelena leave the city?"

Emily gaped at him.

"She didn't leave," Arthur said. "The Blood Fang murdered her."

"What?" Michael said, shocked by the revelation. He turned to Emily for confirmation and received a nod.

The three men exchanged a glance and two of them turned their mounts toward the city.

"We will investigate this," Arthur promised. "We will give Lady Magdelena and you justice."

With that he turned his mount and head for the city door.

"_You have until sunset,"_ Night mass-projected to Michael and the entire city. _"At sunset, if the gate is not opened, we will break it down. Anyone who stands with the Blood Fang will be cut down."_

Michael stiffened on his mount for a moment but continued into the city.

Night, Emily, and Arthur waited through the day in silent. Occasionally, they could hear a few commotions coming from the city but the field beyond the wall was quiet.

Inevitably, the evening came. The sun sank into the horizon, setting the sky on fire. Considering what he was about to do, Night felt the shade of the heaven somewhat ominous and he wondered if the people in the city felt the same.

The sun set completely and the city's gate remained unmoved. Night's expression darkened in proportion with the sky. Still he waited, giving the city a little leeway on his deadline. The moment the first star appeared in the heaven, his patient vanished.

Five thousands Roaches moved forward. Night had brought ten thousands with him for this operation but he decided to hold back have. As soon as the roaches came within three hundred yards of the wall, they opened fire. Five thousands streams of acid arched across the sky and splattered the city's gate, the wall, along with the people standing guard atop the battlement.

Anguish screamed rode the wind, fading to soft whispered when they reached Night's position. Through the Overlord's sight, Night could see the stone wall melting like snow beneath the summer sun.

The Magic Users on the wall returned fire. Fire and lightning scorched the air. Wave of shadow energy and flares of light flashed toward the roaches. Giant boulders accompanying multiple javelins of ice shrieked forward.

Even though the Magic Users' barrages matched, perhaps even exceeded, the roaches' acid attacks in intensity, they did not have the range. By the time the spells traverse the distance of three hundred yards, the attacks had somewhat dissipated. It took four to five attacks before a handful of the Roaches showed visible injuries.

Night ordered the injured Roaches to pull back and the fresh Roaches to cycle in. At the same time, he ordered the Hydralisks to attack. A barrage of spines shot toward the wall at supersonic speed. The spines pierced through Magic Users and Force Users alike. Within four barrages, the battlement was cleared of defenders.

Without the Magic Users gone, Night ordered the swarm to push toward the city. Ten thousand roaches soon melted the entire southern wall of the city. With the barrier removed, twenty thousand Zerglings swarmed into the city.

Through his interrogation of his captive, Night had a relatively clear image of the city's layout and the section of the city where the Blood Fang clan resided. He ordered his swarm toward the eastern section of the city.

The Zerglings streamed through the city streets. Under Night's order, they did not actively attack the people of White Stone on the way. Of course, anyone who attacked a Zerg was immediately torn apart beneath a tide of flashing scythe-limbs and chomping teeth.

The Blood Fang was waiting for them. It was not unexpected; Night gave them enough warning and time to prepare. Three thousand Force Users and two hundreds Magic Users were waiting for them.

The Zerglings collided with the Blood Fang combat force and Night felt two thousands of his Zerglings perishing within fifteen seconds. The Zerglings were unfazed by the staggering lost and swarmed the combat force, fairly climbing over each other to get that their human opponents. Screams of pain and despairs filled the air; some quickly turning into wet gurgles at the Blood Fang's combat force choked on their own blood.

Though the force of the Blood Fang was losing ground, they managed to avoid getting completely overwhelmed, that was until the Roaches and Hydralisks arrived. Once two of the three Triumvirate members caught up with the Zerglings force, it became a one-sided slaughter.

Compare to their battle with the slavers, the swarm was far stronger. Night was surprise that they could grow this much through a single battle. It wasn't simply strength; the swarm was so much more efficient, focusing fire and distracting their opponent with a nip here and a bite there. It was the Overlords, Night realized. They were learning.

Within three minutes of the arrive of the stage two Zerg units, all that remained of the Blood Fang force was large red stain on the ground along with a thousands of dismembered bodies. Surveying the aftermath, Night was very glad that the swarm was on his side. At the same time, the thought that this kind of power was under his control was intoxicating. Seeing a swarm of teeming Zerg, Overlords hoving in the sky, feeling each of them in his mind, he felt almost god-like.

With the enemy force crushed, the Zerg swarm surrounded the largest building in the area, a rectangular structure embraced by four towers, at least, it was. There was a few defenders in the towers and the Roaches promptly melted the four towers. This was the Blood Fang primary headquarter. Through the Overlord's bio-sight, Night could see a number of people holed up inside.

An Overlord carrying Night, Emily, Arthur, and Lilith landed in front of the structure. After they exited the Overlord, Emily was horrified at the carnage. Night did not doubt that she was using all of her strength to keep from throwing up. Even Arthur was a little white-faced.

"Lilith," Night said, gesturing at the door. "Please."

The Zerg Queen smiled. "Of course, Overmind," she said ever so sweetly.

Night could swear she was half a second from curtseying. Somehow, that seemed really creepy to him.

Lilith stepped onto the stoop and held up her left hand. From her palm, a shockwave exploded outward and shattered the thick wooden door. Afterward, she returned to his side. Whereas Eve was quiet and composed, Lilith was more cheerful. She always had a smile on her face and she looked at Night as though she had a permanent crush on him. Really creepy.

The four of them entered the building. It was a wide chamber with six columns. There were rows of chairs but no one was sitting even though there were a dozen people. Night's gaze were drawn to three people standing on a raised dais in the chamber. Three men, two middle-aged and one had hair that were more white than black.

As soon as they came in, the people fell silent and stared at them. Those who were armed drew their weapons while the Magic Users began to gather energy into their hands. Though they were preparing for battle, there was a palpable atmosphere of fear.

Night could feel Emily and Arthur preparing for battle at his side but he didn't react. He eyed the people. He could guess that they were the last of the Blood Fang, probably the ruling body of the entire clan. Before today, they probably held exalted position. The people in the city, Magic Users and Forces alike, probably had to look upward toward them, but they seemed so frail and insignificant when facing his swarm.

"It didn't have to be this way," Night said. His voice echoed through the large hall and everyone tensed. "I just wanted the head of the three who ordered the raid of Haven Field. Everyone else didn't need to die." He sighed in annoyance. "Whatever. I already gave you a chance."

He stepped back and ordered Lilith forward. The Zerg Queen shot forward. Psionic energy exploded from her person in the form of a massive shockwave that slammed into the Blood Fang. The shockwave blew everyone back, hurling them into the wall. Before the Blood Fang could recover, Lilith fell upon them.

Shock waves erupted in rapid succession, each one strong enough to crush even the thick granite that constituted the building like it was tofu. The shockwaves wounded together into a massive storm that sweep through the chamber, shattering the large pillars that supported the roof.

Within a few moments, the roof was falling down on them. Amid the tempest of force waves and the rain of debris, Lilith seemed to be dancing. She spun and twirl, ducked and lunged, exhibiting a grace and elegant one would expect from a ballet dancer.

It was a dance of death. Anyone who escaped being crushed by the shockwaves was sliced apart by Lilith's wings. Night found it fascinating. At first glance, the Zerg Queen's wings weren't sharp at all and yet the skeletal formations were slicing through flesh and bones like a hot knife through butter.

Night would have loved to stay and watch Lilith's entire dance but the building were falling down on their heads. Admittedly, the debris wouldn't be able to hurt him but Emily wasn't as durable as a Zerg Overmind and they were technically in enemy's territory so he didn't want to break away from her, even with the swarm on hand. Where she was concerned, out of sight wasn't out of mind. When she was out of his sight, all he could do was worry about her, much like his mother and sister.

Leaving Lilith to her work, Night retreated from the building with Emily and Arthur. A minute after they left, the building trembled and fell in on itself. From the rubble, Lilith emerged. Floating behind her, helpless in the grip of her power, were the three heads of the Blood Fang. Lilith walked to Night and forced the three battered humans to their knees in front of him.

Night was silent for a moment. From what he knew, the three heads of the Blood Fangs clan were level sevens: two Force Users and one Magic User. Three levels sevens and nine other people, who Night assumed were relatively high level, and they were helpless before Lilith. He wondered what level Lilith was according to the classification system of this planet. Level eight? Level nine? How strong would the Zerg Queen be in stage three? Stage four? Night was a bit exited and more than a little nervous to find out.

He turned to Arthur and gestured to the Blood Fang survivors. "Would you like to do the honor?"

Arthur nodded once and walked to the three men. He took care of the middle-aged men first, placing his hands onto their temple. There was flash of blue light as he fed a massive doze of electricity into their brains. The men tense for a second before shrieking in agony. Arthur showed no mercy, cooking their brains in their skulls within a few seconds. His method of execution reminded Night of the electric chair on Earth.

When the two lifeless bodies fell to the ground, Arthur moved to the third man. He gripped the man's head and forced him to look at him in the eye.

"Know that your death is punishment for the lives of the men and women of Haven Field," he said.

There was another flash of light along with a scream and the last Blood Fang perished in Arthur's hands.

The area fell into silent.

Emily was staring at Arthur in horror and Night felt a touch of satisfaction. He had felt a touch of worry at her horror upon seeing the carnage when they first arrived. Now, after Arthur's executions of the men, they should be on even ground. Night should have as good a chance to acquire her affection as Arthur did.

And he had decided to make a play for her affection. This past month, Emily had spent most of her time with the people of Haven Field, helping them rebuild the town. Having her away from for such extended periods had force him to admit how much he cared for her.

In hindsight, he probably should make a play for her affection before the battle. He was just so nervous to talk to her that he procrastinated.

In hindsight, he should have morphed some Banelings also. It was a bad habit remaining from Nathan's life; he always forgot the Banelings in the game.

Without much noise, the Zerg swarm left the city, disappearing into the night.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Into the deep**

In the siege of White Stone, Night lost five thousand Zerglings. Near a hundred Hydralisks also felled. The minimal Hydralisks casualties was thank to the Roaches. Of the entire swarm, the Roaches really shine; less than fifty had fallen. Over six hundred of them were injured in the siege but unless a Roach was crushed directly, they would recover in a few hours at most.

Night had to admit that the large lost of Zerglings was his fault. He had felt into the trapping of the video game. In the game the Zerglings' true power could only come to bare in an open area where they could surround their target.

It was different in real life.

Zerglings were frail compare to other Zerg units. Having them charge a defensive line, above ground no less, was a serious mistake. He shouldn't have included them in the siege. For the first time, he realized that Zerglings' best use was to protect the base. The blinding speed, enhanced by the creep, made them the ideal defenders, able to quickly response to an attack on any building.

In the forest was where Zerglings truly shine. Their compact bodies and superior responses allowed them to navigate dense vegetations with ease. A dozens Zerlings using guerilla tactic in the middle of a forest was a nightmare. It was one of the reason Night misjudge their combat ability. Up until the siege, they had been a powerful weapons against the Hellites. Half the time, their efficiency exceeded even the Hydralisks whose primary weapon, the poisonous spines, was impeded by the numerous trees that were being sustained by the creep.

He should have noticed this after the fight with the slavers. For the first time, he felt that was an unfit commander. It seemed that the Zerg weren't the only ones with things to learn.

Still, what done was done, and with the threat from White Stone neutralized as far as he knew there was now an entirely new shadow hanging over him, confessing his feeling to Emily. The very thought of it terrified him. Honestly, he would rather go to war the entire planet.

He had the memories of two different lives and neither of them had any experience when romance was concern. As Night, he had never had prolong contact with any other human other than his family before he became the Overmind. As for Nathan, he was a gamer, and the lifestyle of a gamer tended to be detrimental to having a social life. Nathan had never had a girlfriend, a common ailment among young gamers.

He wasn't even sure how to approach her. When he imagined himself standing in front of her, he couldn't come up with a single thing he could say to her. This planet wasn't like Earth. He couldn't ask her to a movie or have a cup of coffee. There were no coffee or movie theaters here. He supposed he could ask her to dinner, but he didn't know if this planet had any nice restaurant. Even if there was, he didn't know where they would be. The entire thing was a mess.

Perhaps lady luck was watching over him. Perhaps she was mocking him. In any case, he didn't get a chance to confess to Emily. After the siege of White Stone, she spent the vast majority of her time at Haven Field. He watched her through his Overlords at first, but it was painful, watching her working so closely with Arthur. He felt as though he was losing her to him, and the thought was unbearable.

He tried to distract himself by focusing on his swarm. Within half a month, the creep carpet had reached ten miles into the inner forest, the buffer zone between the outer forest and the deep forest. Most level five and six Hellites lived in this area. Sometime, you could even spot a level seven here but that was extremely rare.

The inner forest resembled the rain forest of Earth. The three were taller, many reaching several hundred feet into the air. The vegetations were denser, causing the forest floor of the inner forest to be in a constant gloom. Night actually had to search for area large enough for the creep colonies.

With the expansion of the creep carpet into the inner forest, Night encountered level five and six Hellites for the first time. In size, they were no different from the level three and four Hellites, ranging from ten to fifty feet tall. The Hellites were far more numerous in the inner forest. Beasts of fur, hide, and scales, possessing talons, teeth, tusks, and horns packed the inner forest.

Night was surprise to discover that what was most dangerous about the inner forest was not the higher level Hellites. In the inner forest, the Hellites moved in packs, numbering in the hundreds. From the level five and six Hellites, Night's Overlords was able to detect a strange field of psychic energy that seemed to subjugate lower level Hellites, creating something of a pseudo hive mind. Eve had told Night that Hellites were similar to the Zerg Collective genetically, but Night didn't realize that they were that closely related.

From Eve's analysis, Night was elated to know that the Zerg could replicate this energy field once they get to stage three when the Overlords gained the ability to evolve into Overseers. It seemed that the Overseers were far different than in the game. They were telepathic masters, able to manipulate their psychic power dozens of way. They could read minds, tearing information out of virtually any sentient creature. Overseer wasn't as helpless in battle as in the game. They could even use telekinesis or attack a creature's mind directly. A swarm of Overseer was a whirlwind of psychic power. One on one, an Overseer was stronger than other member of the Triumvirate.

Once the Overseers were available, Night's plan of mass domestication of Hellites could finally be realized.

After expanding into the inner forest, Night also discovered another type of Hellites and they were by far the most dangerous. Up until now, the Hellites resembled the animals of Earth. In the inner forest, Night discovered numerous species of Insect Hellites. There were massive colonies of Hellites that resembled gigantic spiders and wasps. The Zerg even came across a colony of butterfly-like Hellites with wingspan reaching fifteen feet in length. They were weaker than the Beast Hellites but each colony numbered in the thousands, some claiming territories that stretched for a full mile.

The first few days after the creep carpet breached the inner forest, the Zerg swarm had more than a few conflicts with the native Hellites. They seemed to oppose the creep carpet encroaching their territories, and tried to destroy the creep colonies. That they figured out that the colonies generate the creep showed a level of intelligence that Night did not observed from the lower Hellites. Within three days, the swarm had a dozen battles, each one larger than the battle at White Stone. That first three days, Night lost nearly fifteen thousand Zerg. Even though the expansion for the creep carpet along with the cores he received from slaying the Hellites afforded him a measure of bio energy, he was still in the red.

Just when he was about to decide that expanding into the inner forest was more trouble than it was worth, the Hellites seemed to figure out that the creep was edible. From trying to destroy the creep colonies, they turned to actively trying to protect the Zerg structures.

Ninety percents of Hellites were carnivores. Living in the inner forest, with such a large population, everyday was a struggle to find enough food. Night suspect that the reason they did not migrate out of the inner forest was because there was not enough food out there. If the higher Hellites give up there pack, they could survive outside, but if they were anything like the Zerg, being without a pack was not something they would want. Even from a human stand point, it was understandable. In the inner forest, they could have hundreds of underlings serving them; outside they couldn't maintain such a large number. It was hard to give up a few hundred servants.

Life in the inner forest for the Hellites was one of constant conflict for foods, mates, and territories. With the introduction of the creep carpet, this conflict intensified. Pack after pack of Hellites war among each other in order to claim territories that contain the creep colonies. Hundred of level three Hellites along with dozens of level four fell every day. Within ten days, even three level fives and a level six fell. After ten days, Night was surprised to find that the number of Hellites was increasing. The creep seemed to be attracting an endless supplies of them from the inner forest.

At this stage of the Zerg development, the bodies of the Hellites were of little use. Their cores were another story. Since the Hellites had no interest in each other's core, Night reaped the greatest benefit from there constant warring.

Considering the fact that a Hellite core was small enough for a Zergling to carry, Night delegated them to collect the crystals. With their small size and blinding speed, the Zerglings proved to be even more effective than the Drones, and their ability to move while burrowing gave them an edge of stealth that allowed them to collect cores without coming into conflict with Hellites. Night could only sigh at that fact.

In the game, one of the primary and most vital duties of the Drones was to collect resources. Where his swarm was concerned, other than the first few days and the occasional collecting of Hellites flesh, he only used the Drones to morph buildings. Even the collecting of fruits and flesh were done by Overlords half of the time. The Overlords' massive forearms weren't just for show like in the game; they could easily pick fruits from trees. With their large internal cavity, their ability to regulate their internal temperature, and their ability to fly, Overlords were effectively giant fly refrigerator who could collect resources. Part of him felt as though the Drones weren't living up to their full potential and he was at fault. Still, there wasn't anything he could do about it at the present time.

With the safety of the creep colonies secure, Night found that the inner forest did not needed any of his attention. As it was, the creep colonies were like supreme luxuries items to the Hellites; they were fighting over them and dying to protect them every day. At this rate, Night had little doubt that his creep colonies could easily encompassed the whole of the forest. Unfortunately, the expansion had to be slowed down to a reasonable pace to avoid full conflict with the Hellites. It was like boiling a frog: increased the heat too fast and it would jump out; increased the heat gradually and it would boil alive without noticing. Night wanted the Hellites to wake up one day to find that the creep carpet was a required part of their lives.

Until then, he had to content with sending his Zerglings off the creep carpet to collect Hellite cores. The warring between Hellites off the creep carpet was less extreme but not by much. With ten thousand Zerglings collecting cores with the aid of the Overlords' vision, Night managed to collect nearly three hundred thousand units of bio energy within eighteen days.

Of course, evolving into stage three was simple; Night simply had to wait until there was enough bio energy. At the moment, there was a task that made Night infinitely more nervous: talking to Emily.

Night waited for an opportunity but Emily didn't give him one. She spent virtually all of her time at Haven Field, eating and sleeping there. She only returned to Night's territory to occasionally bathe in the river. Even though winter was upon them and the water was cold, she figured out that if she filled an Overlord with water, it could warm the liquid up. A mobile refrigerator, freezer, and water heater all in one; the Overlords were versatile if nothing else.

Oddly enough, unlike his mother and sister, Emily didn't directly bathe inside the Overlord. She actually dig a hole a way off from any Zerg building and have the Overlord filled it with warm water every time she bathed, vehemently warning Night not to peak, and Night had to admit, he was tempted, if only to see what she looked like behind the veil.

After waiting for twenty-seven days without a single opportunity arising, Night decided to accompany her on one of her trip back to Haven Field. He could see the surprise on her face when she saw him in the Overlord.

"I thought I would accompany you to Haven Field," Night said. He tried his best to keep his voice steady. The fact that Emily's hair was still damped from her recent bath help a little. Night could see the miniscule droplets of water clinging to her long brown hair. He found the droplets oddly fascinating.

Emily eyed him but didn't say anything. She stepped into the Overlord and few second later, the creature took off, carrying them eastward. Night spent the entire trip in silent. He kept willing himself to say something to her, anything. And yet, he stood and stared ahead in frozen silent. The nervousness of confessing to her felt like ropes, binding all of his limbs and rooting him where he stood.

The speed of the Overlord didn't give him enough time to muster up enough courage. The ropes of fear had barely loosened when they arrived at Haven Field. Watching her walking toward the exit of the Overlord, Night realized what a monumental failure he was.

"I don't like it," he said just as she exited the creature, "when you are with him."

His voice was soft and it carried all the agony he had felt this pass month along with all the self-loathing he felt at his own weakness.

Standing on the ground just outside of the Overlord, Emily turned toward him, her eyes wide. Unable to bare her gaze, he ordered the Overlord to seal itself and took off, flying away as fast as it was able.

He had the Overlord dropped him off by the river, at a spot that he had discovered a few days before. It was nearly eighty yards from bank to bank and twenty yards deep. There were tall trees on either side, all bare of leaves. Night had kept his area free of creep so that the ambiance of the area was not altered. It was such a beautiful spot that he wish to leave it as it was.

An oddly-shaped boulder reached out from the west bank like a diving board crafted by nature. He walked to the tip of the outcrop and sat down. His feet dangled twelve feet above the water. Beneath him, the water flowed ceaselessly, uncaring of his own melancholy. The water was clear enough that the vague shadows of three Roaches could be seen at the bottom.

He was surrounded by the beauty of nature and yet Night only felt sorrow. Now, more than ever, Emily felt far away, and the thought was like a twisting knife in his stomach.

A white flake fluttered downward in front of his face. It touched the skin of his hand and dissolved. Snowflakes descended, one after another. As he was, Night was all but immune to the weather. He sat, unmoving, staring at the specks of ice as they descended into the water and vanish. A part of him envied the snowflakes. They have such a short life but free of any care; just an effortless journey from the heaven to the earth where they disappeared. No concern. No worry. No pain. No rejection.

Lost in contemplation, Night didn't even notice an Overlord flying toward him. It was until the creature landed behind him that Night turned around. He was a little stunned when he saw Emily stepped out of the creature. She walked to where he was sitting and sat down next to him.

"You're an idiot," she said, staring at the other side of the river.

"O…ok."

A space of silent passed before Emily spoke again. "Is this why your Zerg have been so hostile toward Arthur?"

"They haven't been _that_ hostile," Night said.

"One of the Zerglings bit him."

"Only on the leg, and not even that hard." That particular event had happened about five days after the siege of White Stone. Night had been feeling especially annoyed that Emily was spending so much time at Haven Field and Arthur had wander near one of the Zerglings.

Emily scowled at him. "Did you order it to attack him?" she demanded.

"No! Of course not! It's just…I am connected to the swarm. Whoever I like, the swarm likes; whoever I don't like…"

"They bite," Emily finished for him, still semi-scowling at him.

"Not hard."

They fell silent again and watched the snow.

"Why didn't you say anything before?" Emily said after awhile.

"I wanted to. It's just…you're kind of intimidating."

"I'm intimidating? You're the Overmind of the Zerg Collective and I'm intimidating?"

"You kind of have the advantage here. I've already fallen for you; there's nothing I can do about it. The rest is up to you. You get to chose. The fact that I am the Overmind doesn't change anything. Even if I have a hundred billions Zerg, that wouldn't help in this situation…unless I'm willing to force myself on you."

Emily whirled on him and punched him in the kidney.

Night barely felt the blow but he still held up his hands in surrender and quickly explained. "I'm not saying I am."

Emily glared at him for a second but didn't say anything.

They fell back into silent for some time before Emily spoke again. "He offered to put me up in the Haven Field, you know, before the town was destroyed."

A flash of anger cut through Night. The very thought that Arthur had tried to pull Emily away from him filled him with a rage so potent that, miles away at Haven Field, all of his Zerg turned toward the man and began screeching.

Before Night could give in to his anger and ordered this swarm to tear Arthur apart, Emily continued, "I turned him down." Her voice fell to a whisper and he could hear her embarrassment. "I…I wanted to stay with you."

Night was stunned. Even before Haven Field was destroyed? Back then, he didn't even realize that he was in love with her. All this time, he had struggle with a crippling fear of her rejection and she had made the choice that long ago?

He didn't know what to say. What could he say in this situation? In a bit of a panic, he said the first thing that popped into his head and, in some way, it was the most idiotic.

"How old are you?" he said.

This was one of a million questions that Night had about Emily. Emily rarely surrendered any personal information and, up until now, he had been hesitant to press. Now, knowing that she chose him, the question appeared in his head and flew out of his mouth before he could stop it.

Emily stared at him for a second and punched him in the arm. "That's a very rude thing to ask a lady!"

"Here too?" Night said before he could stop himself. Emily revelation seemed to have shock him so much that his mental filter had been completely paralyzed.

"What?"

"Nothing," he said.

For the first time, he noticed the odd similarities between this world and Earth. The Hellites and the resulting civilization aside, there was a few characteristic of Earth on this planet. Most prominence of this was the game. Gemma, Emily, Arthur; these names shouldn't exists on an alien planet. The people here should be called something weird like Xyyakk or something like that. So why did they have name similar to the English speaking people on Earth, or was it Earth people who had Luminous name? Was there a connection between the two planets? He hoped there was. Otherwise, it would take divine intervention for him to find Earth in the billions of solar systems in this galaxy, assuming the two planets were even in the same galaxy.

"I'm seventeen," Emily said after a few seconds. Her voice was irked.

"Really? I thought you are closer to my mother's age. It's actually one of the reasons I was so hesitant to tell you how I feel about you."

"Why would you think that?"

"Well…I just…I don't know. When I first saw you, you were with my mom so I just…"

Emily rolled her eyes, and Night felt like an idiot. It was such a stupid reason to assume Emily's age.

"I can't believe you are younger than I am," he muttered.

They fell into stillness and both stared at the flowing water beneath their feet. After a few minutes, Night turned toward her. There wasn't any reason; he didn't have anything to say to her. He just wanted to.

At that moment, she looked up at him and their eyes met. All thought fade of Night's head. There was nothing in his mind but those bright brown eyes drawing him in. As though moving of their own accord, his hands moved up to her face, toward her veil.

Emily didn't stop him. Her eyes were glue to his, shimmering slightly as though she was in the same trance she was.

He felt her trembled slightly when he gently pulled the veil from her face. Pulling back slightly, he looked upon her face for the first time, and her visage captivated him.

She was beautiful. In his eyes, she was more beautiful than any of the so call movie stars of Earth. Her features were so delicate, flowing together so perfectly. He took her face into his hands, confirming to himself that this beauty was indeed real.

Emily's lips parted and he could feel her breath brushing his face. Her lips were ever so slender; soft pink and velvet in appearance, like the petal of a rose. Unable to help himself, he leaned forward and claimed Emily's first kiss.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Civilized Invitation**

Her lips were impossibly soft, and the taste of her was simply…divine. There was a sweetness to her lips, as real as sunlight yet as intangible as a mirage in the desert. It compelled and captivated him.

Night released Emily's face and wrapped his arms around her, pulling toward him until he could feel her soft body pressing against him. Through its all, his lips never left hers, fairly gorging himself on the taste of her.

He didn't know how much time had passed but he suddenly noticed that her breathings were getting increasingly shallow. He told himself to let her go but his body refused to listen. After a few second, she whimpered against his lips and it took all of his strength to break the kiss.

Her hand clinging to his clothes, Emily leaned weakly against him and gasped for breath. Night held her close, listening to the sound of her breathing, feeling the soft swell of her breasts pressing against him with every breath.

He used all of his willpower to keep himself from kissing her again. He wanted more, so much more. Still, he controlled himself.

It was a perfect moment for him, holding Emily in his arms, watching the snow fall. His rapid heartbeats slowed and the fire of desire burning in his blood faded away. Silent followed and with it, serenity.

"I wasn't spending time with Arthur," Emily whispered against his chest.

"Hmm?" Night muttered.

"Since White Stone, I haven't been spending all my time at Haven Field because of Arthur."

It took Night a moment to understand what she was saying. Now that he knew that she had chosen him, he didn't give a crap about the man anymore. If anything, he felt a little bad that one of the Zergling bit him.

"Haven Field was destroyed because of me. Those men from the Blood Fang clan were looking for me. All those people…" Her voice faded to a whisper and Night could hear her anguish. "They died because of me."

Night hugged her tighter. "Sweetie, you can't blame yourself for what happen at Haven Field."

Emily raised her head from his chest and scowled at him. "I told you the same thing a long time ago and you didn't listen to me, so why should I listen to you?"

Night smiled; on its surface it was a bit of a double standard. "Our situations are different," he said. "I directly ordered my swarm to attack the town; while the destruction of the town was because of the Blood Fang's greed. You didn't even know that they were coming. In this, you were as much a victim as the people of Haven Field were."

Emily fell silent for a few moments before burying her face in his chest. "I still feel responsible," she whispered.

Night sighed. He didn't expect that a few words would relieve her of her undeserved guilt, still, he had hoped.

"If you feel bad, then do something to make it up to them," he said.

"How? I'm not like you; I don't have the Zerg Collective to make their lives better."

"But you do have your master's research."

Emily startled and looked up at him. "What?"

"Do you think your Lady Magdelena spent all that time and effort to find the perfect forging technique just for fun?"

"Uh…well…"

"All researchers want to see their works being applied in real life; they do what they do so they could contribute to the world. Take advantage of that; give your master's forging technique to the people of Haven Field. It would also be a good opportunity to gather some information, help you continue your master's work."

He could see that she was tempted but there was some hesitation.

"You want me to use them as test subjects?" she said.

"I want you to stop feeling guilty. What I am proposing will help the people of Haven Field and continued your master's work. Where's the bad?"

Emily was silent for a full minute. She was chewing on her lower lip and Night had to spend a lot of effort to control himself. He dearly wanted to chew on her lip.

"I suppose you're right," she said, jarring Night out of his thought.

"Of course I am." He smiled. "I'll tell you what, I'll even reforge them. With any luck, they'll become gods among men, come back, and beat the crap out of us…well, me, anyway. If they touch you, I'll drown them in acid."

She looked up at him, a small smile on her lips and a faint blush on her face. Smiling back, he leaned down and kissed her.

The next few days brought with it a lot of change. Emily finally left her cave and moved into an Overlord. Night found out that she didn't move into an Overlord in the first place was another just an attempt to hide what she looked like. He asked her why she hid her appearance in the first place.

"Because boys are weird," she said. "I knew a few boys before. Everything was normal at first but the minute they saw what I look like. After that, they start following me, buying all kind of weird stuffs for me, even arguing and fighting among themselves."

"You can't really blame us for that. You are rather on the obscenely beautiful side of humanity; of course we'll go crazy trying to win your favor," he told her.

She blushed but didn't argue with him.

Gemma quickly noticed the change in their relationship but didn't seemed surprise. Night suspected that she knew his feeling for Emily long before he knew it himself. When he tried to talk to her about it, she simply smiled.

Emily no longer spent the majority of her time at Haven Field; she divided her time between helping the townspeople and spending time with Night. She made two copies of Lady Magdelena's researched, giving one to Arthur so he could give it to the people of Haven Field. The other copy, she gave to Gemma.

Night wanted to reforge the people of Haven Field but they were unwilling to trust him enough to subject themselves to the Zerg Lairs.

Their lives settled into a new norm for twenty days. They were in the middle of winter when Night's Overlord spotted a small progression heading toward haven field. The entire group consisted of four people, riding upon four furred Hellites that reminded Night of Earth's buffalo. Unlike the buffalos, however, the creatures had three horns and white fur.

Hellites mounds meant that these people were from a city. They came from the direction of White Stone. Night recognized one of them: the leader of the White Wolf clan, Michael. Still, he preferred to err on the side of caution. As head of a clan, Night expect Michael to be very high level. Such a person could cause quite a bit of damage if he wanted to.

He ordered twenty thousand Zerg to supplement the ten thousands already stationed there. At the same time, he had an Overlord take him to Haven Field. Emily was there and, even though Lilith was with her, he was much more comfortable if he was there.

Arthur, Emily, and Lilith were there waiting for him, having received his message through one of the Overlord. The four of them headed to the northern outskirt of the outpost town. Of course, at the moment, it could barely be called that; not even one fifth of it had been rebuilt.

"Why do you think they are coming here?" Arthur said as they waited on the outskirt of the outpost town. He was standing to Night's left. Emily was standing on Night's right side, and behind them stood Lilith.

Night arched a brow at Arthur. It wasn't that hard to guess why they were coming here.

On the other side of him, Emily paled slightly.

Night glanced at her, and wound an arm around her waist. "It's alright. I won't let anything happen this time."

She offered him a weak smile. "Part of me thinks our lives would be a lot easier if I just give them the research."

"That is only prudent if we are at a disadvantage militarily," Night said. "My swarm is strong enough to stand against them and win. Beside, can you live with yourself if they take your master's research and cause all manner of mayhem and destruction?"

Emily bit her lip.

Night gave her a squeeze. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."

It wasn't an empty comfort. At that moment, the Zerg swarm number over eighty thousands. Night was on the verge of morphing a third queen. He also had over three hundred thousand units of bio energy saved up. Even if White Stone could manage to wipe out his swarm, Night could replenish his ranks inside of a day. If he could delay going to war with White Stone, assuming that was what was coming, for a month, two at most, he would have enough energy to evolve the Collective to level three. Then, he doubt any force on this planet could threaten him.

"Do you think they're coming here to fight?" Arthur said.

Night shook his head. "Only four of them are coming so I doubt that their intentions are hostile. Of course, if they want a fight, I won't be so nice this time."

Emily eyed him. "You were being nice last time?" She sounded much more at east than a few moments ago.

"Did you notice that I didn't use Banelings last time?" Night said. Though he didn't morphed any of the suicidal creature, he had told Emily about them. At the moment, the Banelings were his most destructive weapon.

"Banelings?" Arthur said.

"Do you remember a ball-like creature filled with green liquid? The one you ran into when you first came onto my territory?"

Arthur's eyes twitched. Night knew that creature was a sore subject for him.

"What would happen if I load five thousands of them into Overlords and have the Overlords dropped them into the city from the clouds?"

Arthur paled at the scenario, and Night didn't blame him. In the game, the Baneling-Carpet-Bomb was arguably the most lethal attack in the Zerg's arsenal. On paper, it would be even more lethal in real life. In the game, the Carpet-Bomb maneuver could be neutralized if the Overlords were destroy before they could drop the Banelings. In real life, the Banelings could be dropped from high orbit, bursting on impact with the ground. Even if the Overlords were destroyed, the result would be a rain of Baneling acid over an extensive area beneath. As powerful as the maneuver was in the game, in real life, its destructive potential was obscene.

They waited for an hour before the procession from White Stone arrived. As they drew closer, Lilith unfurled her wings, preparing for the possibility of a battle. Just as her wings unfurled fully, the procession stopped and the people from White Stone dismounted.

"We mean no harm," Michael said. "We simply wish to talk."

"Talk, then," Night said.

"We represent the White Wolf and the Night Raven clans. We wish to extend an invitation for all of you to join our city."

"Oh?"

"What the Blood Fang did to you…all of you, was monstrous. We wish for a chance to make it for it."

Night exchanged a glance with Emily and Arthur before turning back to him. "We'll discuss it. Until then, we asked that you do not enter the proximity of Haven Field."

There was a moment of silent before Michael nodded. "As you wish."

Night sent a message to his mother, and a half hour later, the second Zerg council began in an Overlord hovering above Haven Field.

"So that is the situation," Night said after recounting everything for his mother's benefit.

"Do you think they are sincere?" Gemma said.

"I don't doubt it," Arthur said. He glanced at Night and Emily. "Between the two of you, you're pretty much what every city dreams about."

"That seems a little underhanded," Gemma said.

"Perhaps," Emily said. "But it is normal for the ruler of every city to try and strengthen it. At least they are doing diplomatically."

"They don't exactly have a choice," Arthur said. "They've seen what the Zerg collective can do. I don't think there is anyone stupid enough to cross the Collective after seeing something like that."

"So, do we accept the invitation?" Night said.

"You know me," Gemma said. "I've always wanted to live in a city."

"White Stone is a nice city," Emily said. "If not for the Blood Fang, I would have been happy to spend the rest of my life there."

"I wouldn't mind moving into the city," Arthur said. "The city would give the children of Haven Field much more opportunities to grow, and offer them a chance to integrate themselves into higher society."

"Then we accept their invitation," Night said. He had planned to move Gemma and Dawn into a city anyway. White Stone was as good a city as any.

The other three nodded, concluding the second council. None of them knew how big a ripple this one decision would cause. The Zerg swarm joining White Stone was the trigger of a series of event that would change Luminous itself.

_Author's Note: Thank you to all that have supported me through the last couple of months. This chapter marks the end of the first arc of the story. From here on out would be the second arc, and with it, a minor change to the story's point-of-view. Up to this point, the story had been told largely through Night's perspective. From the second arc on, the perspective will be turning toward a more omniscience point-of-view. There had also been a few readers who had expressed interest in seeing the Zerg entering the space age. Unfortunately, as the story stand, the Zerg will not entered the space age until the third arc. Admittedly, at stage three, the Zerg could easily breach high orbit but space travel beyond the moons will not be practical until stage four._


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Beyond the Wall**

The Zerg Collective joining the city of White Stone caused a bit of a stir. A month ago, the swarm had been just outside the city wall as an invading force. After what the destruction the swarm had wrought, a great many people in the city looked upon the swarm with fear. A handful understood that such a powerful force might strengthen the city, and hoped that the swarm would provide them with a better life. Moreover, from Night's mass projection to the entire city, they knew that the battle wasn't unprovoked.

Their discussions and gossips did not hinder the joining of the Zerg swarm in any way.

Two days after the second council, a dozen Zerg Drones entered White Stone. They headed to the area of the city where the Blood Fang used to occupy. Within half a day, the drones cleared nearly half a dozen buildings and began to morph a Lair. Because of the structure's location, Night limited the creep carpet from this one lair to about fifteen yards. Within an hour of the Lair completion, half a dozen Overlords descended upon the site and unloaded several hundred Hydralisks and Roaches. As soon as they landed, the creatures burrowed into the ground, leaving no evidence of their passing.

After that, the people of Haven Field began to arrive, led by the Zerg council, though none of the people of White Stone knew the difference. After the siege, only a fragment of the Blood Fang clan remained. They promptly fled when they heard of the city's invitation of the Zerg swarm, leaving behind numerous empty buildings for the people of Haven Field.

The integration of White Stone's new members was swift and uneventful. Within a few days, the people of Haven Field began to integrate themselves into the city. With the empty buildings available, they no longer had any need to build shelters and they all moved out of the Overlords. Men and women alike began to get odd jobs around the city.

Watching them, Night could only sigh. Seemed they hadn't quite forgiven him and was only willing to accept from the swarm only if their survival was on the line.

After everyone got settled into the city, a sense of boredom came upon Night. He found that this was an increasingly common condition of an Overmind. He would love to spend all that extra time with Emily but she was busy.

Seemed Arthur ran into some trouble in passing on Lady Magdalena's research to the people of Haven Field. In the end, he was a Magic User and he didn't much understand the way of Force Users. As for Gemma and the other Force Users of Haven Field, their contact with what was now known as the Magdelena Forge was too brief, and the forge was far too intricate for them to understand without a year of study.

In this, Emily proved to be the saving grace. While she was a Magic User, she had been there when her master first had the idea for the forge and the subsequent years when the forge slowly took shape. She had even helped her master when she could. With Lady Magdelena gone, no one understood the forge better than Emily. And so, it fell to her to teach the forge to other.

Emily proved to be a very good teacher, contrary to what Night had thought, and she found the work very fulfilling. Unfortunately, her new job pretty much ate up all of her time, and Night couldn't be with her when she was with the people of Haven Field, not with the amount of animosity they still held toward him. Admittedly, that animosity was decreasing but it would be at least another year for them to be around each other while maintaining some semblance of amicability.

Four days after the swarm moved into White Stone, Night decided to take a walk around the city. Last time he was here, he wasn't really in any state to admire the city. As soon as he stepped out of the Lair, however, Dawn saw him and demanded to come along.

Night agreed. It was just a walk around a city; there was no reason to deny Dawn's request. With his little sister in tow, Night headed out.

White Stone was a lower middle-class city. Emily'd told him of the classification. The cities on Luminous were divided into three catergories: low-class, middle-class, and high-class. A city's classification was dependent upon the city's military power.

Of course, there were a few acceptations. A handful of cities did not possess large military forces but due to their locations, they had control of some important resources and their statuses were elevated.

Emily had also told him of a supreme-class city, a unique existence on all of Luminous, the one piece of paradise that the people of Luminous strived toward, Heaven's Gate.

Walking through the somewhat narrowed streets of the city, seeing the numerous stands that lines the dirt street, looking at building after building made of white stone, each reaching three to five stories into the air, Night wondered what Heaven's Gate looked like. He wondered how the greatest city of this planet measured up to the metropolis of Earth, like the hub of American cultures that was New York or the glowing city that never sleep Las Vegas.

He wanted to go back to Earth. He wanted to show Gemma, Dawn, and Emily what a true city was like. Of course, he was never going to take Dawn to Vegas…ever. And it wasn't just Earth, he wanted to show them the stars; he wanted them to see the universe in all its glory. For that matter, he wanted to see the universe. His destiny and that of his swarm was not bound to any world; it was out there, among the stars.

Still, for now, he was bound to this world, and this packed city barely held his interest. Of course, just because he found the city uninteresting, someone else didn't. Dawn was running from one roadside stand to another, ducking into every shop they came upon.

"Dawn," Night called, "don't wander so far away."

Her little figure ran back to his side. Her little hands grabbed his arm and she began to pull him toward a dress shop.

"Come on, big brother. Come look."

Night smiled and allowed his sister to pull him into the shop. He could understand her excitement. This was her first time in a city. Living in wild, Dawn would have never seen such buildings, or so many people in one place before. To the eye of a child, this place must be wondrous.

The interior of the shop was somewhat narrow. There was no front wall, freely allowing the light and wind to come in, not that there was a lot of wind which was saying something considering that this was a coastal city. Dresses of every size and color hung from the wall from the ceiling three or four feet above their head to the ground, overlapping each other.

Running the shop was a woman with shoulder-length brown hair. Like the vast majority of the people in the city, the woman was on the too-thin side. Her skin was leathery from a hard life and her hair was sun-damaged. From the black raven emblem on her shirt, it wasn't difficult to guess that she belong to the Night Raven clan.

It was how the city operated. Everyone who stayed in White Stone required the endorsement of one of the city's clans. Wearing the clan's emblem was to inform other about one's endorsement clan along with one's loyalties. Through this system, every clan had two branches: the main branch, which comprise of people in the bloodline; and the shadow branch, which comprise of people with the endorsement. While the Force Users and Magic Users of the shadow branch were incorporated into the clan's military force, their normal family members were given duties such as maintaining various clans' business throughout the city. When Night was invited into the city, the few survivors of the Blood Fang's main branch fled and the shadow branch were absorbed by the other two clans.

When the shop owner saw Dawn came in, her eyes widened. When Night came in, her eyes got even wider.

Night offered her a little smile. It was not unexpected and not at all unusual. After being reforged, his outward appearance could put most movie stars to shame. Dawn was even worse. She looked a little goddess forged out of rosy gemstone. Other children on this world, even the one living in the city, look like street urchins: ragged and dirty, in tattered clothes, leathery skin, and all had rat-nests for hair, so much so that Night sometimes wonder if there were rats on this planet.

Even the adults of Haven Field adored Dawn, despite their feeling for Night. They were even quite amicable toward Gemma. Night suspected that it was a genetic prerogative of humankind, being drawn toward beauty in an unconscious attempt to find a mate with the best hereditary traits. He also suspected that if they weren't so nice to his family, he probably wouldn't feel as bad about what he did. If they hated him so blindly that their hatred would bleed onto his sister or his mother, who were innocent in the tragedy, he probably would have let the winter have them.

Half an hour, Dawn had picked out near a dozen dresses. All the dresses were made out of a type material that reminded Night of coarse wool or at type of thin hide which had been treated to be as fine and flexible as cotton. Night didn't think much of them but Dawn was ecstatic. Watching her, Night could only sigh. She'd never buy anything before so for her, this must be a trip to heaven and back.

Night paid the owner one level three core and thirteen pieces of silver for the dresses. From the way the owner of the shop was acting, thank him and bowing, all but getting on her knees in front of him, one would think that he had just pulled her kid from a burning building.

This was the currency in all the cities and outpost towns on Luminous. The smallest denomination was pieces of steel that looked like poorly shaped coins. Above steel pieces were the Hellite cores. A level three core was equal to one hundred steel pieces; a level four core was equal to ten level three cores; a level five core was equal to ten level four cores; so on and so forth.

Night was planning on taking advantage of this system. The supply of cores from the forest was fine and dandy but there was a massive amount of Hellite cores circulating among the various human cities. The creep's effect upon plant life gave him something that everyone on this planet was killing and dying for: food. Food, he had in excess, if he could trade them for Hellite cores, his intake of bio energy would jump by leap and bound.

Night was considering becoming a merchant. He knew that merchant had the greatest potential of making a lot of money, and he knew that, on this world as it was on Earth, money meant power. This fact was truer for him than anyone. More Hellite cores meant more energy, which meant a bigger swarm and evolution.

Of course, as important as the cores were to his swarm, he was more than willing to use a few of them to buy his sister anything she wanted, which, as it turned out, was everything. After the dress shop, Dawn bought anything that caught her eyes, which was pretty much half the town. It got so bad that Night had to call two drones to carry all the stuff she bought. He might've had super-strength but he only had two arms. He would have called an Overlord except that their body was too big for the narrow street.

They walked through half the city and the only shop Dawn didn't buy anything from was the fruit shop. There was only one fruit shop in the entire city and it was the biggest shop, occupying a building five stories tall. From the wolf head emblem on the uniform of the people working in the shop, the business belonged to the White Wolf clan.

For all its grandeur, the shop's produces were…pathetic. All the fruits looked like they been in the heat at least a day or two and the smallest fruit cost ten steel fruit. There was a basket by the front entrance with a plank of wood that read 'cheap fruit'. Of course, 'cheap' was relative and 'fruit' was used very loosely; each piece in the basket cost five pieces and the content of the basket might have been fruits ten days ago. The entire thing felt a little surreal to Night. A steak in the city cost one, maybe two, steel piece, and yet a piece of fruit cost that much.

Despite the shortcoming of the shop's produces, it was quite busy. A constant stream of people filed into and out of the shop. In the street, dozens of children hovered in front of the shop, looking wistfully at the fruits within. The fruits were just a few paces away but Night knew that, for most of them, they were forever out of reach.

Watching them, Night felt a touch of guilt. But for the grace of the voice who gave him the Zerg swarm, his sister could have been one of these children, and only if they would be so lucky as to get to live in a city. As the Overmind, he could give his family a better life but that was not the full potential of the Zerg Collective. The swarm could change this world, even the very stars above. Perhaps he was meant to better the lives of the humans on this world, and perhaps it should begin with this city.

Mulling over the idea, Night lead his sister to the harbor. The city ended about a hundred yards from the water and the sand was teeming with tent and wooden shack. The area was buzzing with activities. People called each other, making deal and trying to catch the attention of the customer. Among the tents were giant wooden block upon which dozens of people were preparing the bodies of Hellites. This area, he suspected, was the true marketplace of this city.

These Hellites were unlike anything Night had ever seen. In size, they ranged from that of a dolphin to that of a small whale. The water Hellites were all furless, their skin resembling either that of dolphins' or lizards'. Some had fins, some had webbed limps. All had teeth that could put a white shark to shame. A few even had horns.

Night had expected wooden walkways stretching hundreds of yards beyond the coast, maybe even a few buildings built directly in the water. Instead he saw four wooden walkways barely three feet across and ten feet long. The people, for the most part kept well inland. Between them and the ocean, armed Force Users in hide armors patrolled the sand along with a handful of Magic Users. Small boats ferried personnel and goods between the wooden docks and the handful of large ships a little farther out.

This was the first time Night saw a ship on Luminous. They looked like giant wooden shoes, with the tips turned slightly upward. They had no sail; propulsion seemed to be maintained by the water element Magic Users onboard. Night was somewhat curious; were the people on this planet so dependent upon Magic Users that they hadn't figure out how to take advantage of wind's power? It sounded somewhat ludicrous but the proof was right in front of him.

There were only five ships in the water, each about thirty yards in length and about ten yards wide. Night could see dozens of sailor with nets, some pulling their nets up, some casting them into the water.

The ships caught his attention for a minute before the ocean drew his gaze. He had never seen the ocean before, in either of his lifetimes. It was so blue, shimmering as it stretched beyond the horizon.

In every age and in every civilization, the ocean had fascinated men. Its attraction was second only to the sky. The ocean and the sky, they were symbols of boundless freedom; men had reached for them, dedicating their lives to traversing them.

The thought mesmerized him. He wanted to know what lied beyond that horizon. With a thought, a dozen Overlords departed from his main Lair and began to head north. In a few hours, they would reach the coast and began to head out to sea. Soon, through them, the ocean would open itself to him.

With that done, he turned his attention back to the immediate area. This harbor, if it could even be called that, was pitiful. From what Emily'd told him, most of the city's food came from the sea. He had expected the harbor to be much more developed.

Curious, he ordered the Drones to remain on dry land with Dawn and stepped onto the wooden walkway, ignoring the curious gazes that the people were casting toward him. Because the harbor was so undeveloped, the water was unpolluted. Night had little trouble seeing the sand beneath the water. The ground sloped downward very steeply. By the time he reached the end of the walkway, the water was already fifty feet deep.

Night finally understood why the harbor was so undeveloped. It wasn't that the city didn't want to develop it. They simply can't. Night guessed that the harbor was placed here because this area didn't have many Hellites, if that was the case and there was still this many around, he could only imagine what other areas were like. The coast was as bad as the inner forest.

Bending down, he scooped up a handful of water and tasted it. It was salty, just like Earth's ocean. He found the fact interesting. Before he could stand up, he saw a Hellite shot toward him. The creature looked like a shark but had the head and skin like an alligator. The people on shore let out gasps and yells as the creature burst out of the water. His expression unchanging, Night's right fist snapped out and decked the creature. He could feel the creature's skull shattering beneath the force of the blow, and the Hellite was hurled thirty feet away. There was a splash and a few moments of silent before the creature surfaced, belly up.

There was a scrambling of footsteps as a few Force Users rushed onto the walkway toward him. Night stood up and waved the Force Users away. There was a moment hesitation but the Force Users retreated, their eyes glued to him in shock.

Night allowed himself a small smile. He was a little touch that they showed concern for him, even if it was their jobs. He scanned the area for a few minutes before heading back inland.

"Can I go swimming?" Dawn said when he got to her. Her eyes were glued to the shimmering water stretching endlessly into the distance. She seemed completely unconcerned with the fact that a Hellite had just attacked him. Night knew it wasn't because she didn't care. It was simply the little girl's blind faith in his power.

He smiled and patted her head. "Not yet, sis. There are too many Hellites in the water. Give me a few days to clear the area first."

"Ok," she said.

Night took his sister and began to head back toward the city. As they made their way through the beach area, Night noticed that the people's gazes upon him were filled with respect, curiosity, and more than a little wonder. There were whispers, inquiries into his identity. It felt kind of nice. Up until now, beside his family, the only other humans he had regular contact with were the people from Haven Field and they hated his guts.

On their way back to the Lair, Dawn was no longer buying everything in sight and Night was glad. As it was, they already had five Drones following them, each carrying goods stacked almost as tall as Night was. That nothing was falling down was a testament to the balance the Drones could maintain.

It was sunset but the time they arrived back at the Lair. Emily and Gemma were waiting for them at the entrance. Dawn ran straight into Gemma's arms. Night stood a few steps away, listening to her exited little voice recounting all that she saw. Watching them, Night felt a touch of serenity. It didn't matter how hostile this world was; it didn't matter that the people of Haven Field hated him. As long as he had moment such as these, then all was right with the world.

"How as your day?" he said when Emily walked up to him.

"Same old same old." She smiled.

Night smiled back. She had picked up that Earth's idiom from him.

"Seemed you had quite a day," Emily said, eyeing the Drones laden with goods.

"Yes, I punched a Hellite in the head," he said. He knew he sound like a child trying to impress the girl next door but he couldn't help it.

"That's wonderful," she said patting his arm.

There was a moment of silent before they both burst out in a fit of snickers.

In front of the entrance, Gemma glanced at them and smiled gently. She knew of their change in relationship and she was glad for it. This world was harsh enough. If anyone deserve a bit of tenderness and romance, it was her son.

She placed her daughter down and patted her head. "Go wash up for dinner."

"Ok, momma," the four-year-old said and ran off.

Watching Dawn little figure running to one of the dozen of Overlords that Night had assigned as water storage, Gemma was struck by how much her life had change. Just a few months ago, a single day had been a struggle. She had to gamble her life to provide her children with every meal and drinking water was a precious commodity.

Now, they were living in a city, something she could only dream of. Foods were plentiful, not only meat but vegetables and fruits as well, and a daily bath was a right. Most people living in cities couldn't boast that. A few months ago, she was a level one Force Users, and now she was at the pinnacle of level four, with one foot into the doorway of level five. From possessing a pseudo-forging technique that she had figured out herself, she was now able to study a technique that a famous researcher and came up with, a forging technique that a city's clan had killed for, a clan that her son had crushed into the ground. In just a few months, they had gone from living at the very bottom of civilization to the very top. The change was jarring.

It was the Zerg. This massive swarm of creatures had changed their lives. Despite their monstrous appearance, they were a gift from heaven, and no other creatures were as beautiful to her.

She wasn't there when it happened, when her son became the Overmind and it bothered her something. Deep in her heart, she knew that it was her son. Night still loved her and adored his sister. The bond between mother and son remained unchanged but, sometimes, she had some difficulty recognizing him.

Before becoming the Overmind, Night had been a meek and quiet boy. It was not unexpected, being a normal in the wild. Now, he was so much more confidence. He looked the same, a lot healthier, though still on the slender side. She knew that hidden in that slender body was a strength that could crush steel and shatter stone.

He had told her about something call 'Bio-Resonance'. As she understood it, it was a kind of mystical connection with the Zerg Collective that gave him super-strength. She worried about it sometimes. If his relationship with Emily worked out, which it was by all indication, she wondered what would happened once they get intimate. She was afraid he would crush every bone in the girl's body in the throes of passion. She would have to talk to Night about it.

Of course, if it was the newly found confidence, then she wouldn't think much of it. Anyone would be confident if they had a massive army. As a mother, she would have been glad that her son was more confidence and more powerful. What mother wouldn't be happy that her son shone as bright as the sun?

There was something more. Night was so much more knowledgeable. He could hold his own in a discussion with Emily, a Magic User who had grew up in a city. Half the time, he seemed to be even more knowledgeable than Emily was. Once, she had overheard him telling Emily of the nature of the sun. He had said that the sun was an orb of fire bigger than the entire world, that even though the sun moved through the sky, it was the fact the world that was moving.

It had terrified her. She felt that such a thing was the ways of the gods and mortal men should not speak of them. Where did her son even learn of such things? Night was born of her flesh. She knew him from head to toes, and yet, since the swarm, half the time, he felt like someone else, someone not of this world.

She was proud of him and she worried about him. She supposed that such was the way of all mothers.

Shaking away such thoughts, she walked to Night and Emily, who were still snickering. "Did you have to buy so much?" she said, eyeing the Drones carrying virtual mountains of goods.

"This is not my fault," Night protested. "It's that little temptress of your."

"Don't call your sister that," Gemma said, "and you could have told her no."

Night scoffed. "Why don't you try it if it's so easy?"

Gemma had to concede her son's point. Knowing that Dawn earliest memory was one of hunger and fear, it was all but impossible to deny her anything her little heart desired now that they were able. That the Collective had given her a perfection that was all but inhuman did not help. When her lips slipped into a little pout and her eyes tear up, Gemma's heart always melted. She knew she was spoiling the four-year-old but living in their world, how many parents had the resource to spoil their child.

"It's not the same. You're the Overmind. You're supposed to be stronger," Gemma said.

"Only physically, mother, and that is meaningless in front of her," Night said. "I actually had an epiphany today. I realized that that little girl is the most powerful one among us. Even if you become a level ten and my swarm grows large enough to span the stars, she would still have us wrapped around her little finger. I am the Zerg Overmind and today she reduced me to the functions of a money pouch and a pack mule. The mess up thing is that if she wants to do again tomorrow, I won't be able to stop her." He sighed. "I can only hope that the power she wields over us will decrease as she gets older. Otherwise, once she becomes a teenager," he glanced at the mountain of goods on the Drone's back, "we're screwed."

Next to him, a giggle burst out of Emily and she began to shake with laughter. Gemma had a hard time not laughing herself. It was so true and yet so absurd. At the same time, she was comforted. Whatever her son had and would become, at his core, he would still be the same. No matter how powerful he grew or how much knowledge of the gods he learned, he would forever be helpless before his little sister.

"Stop laughing," Night said to Emily. "This is a serious problem."

Emily laughed even harder.

Night grumbled in disgusted and headed for the lair. "I'm going to go lie down," he said as he passed Gemma. "Call me when dinner is ready."

"Lord Michael wants to talk to you," Gemma called after him. The head of the White Wolf clan had came by earlier.

"Whatever it is, it can wait until tomorrow," Night called back without turning and disappeared into the Lair.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: The Zerg Merchant**

Michael sat in his work chamber. It was a wide room, the roof supported by a pair of round columns. A wide chamber and a large wooden desk, these were symbols of his status. So many people in the clan work their entire lives in order to get the stupid desk.

He had been the head of the White Wolf clan for six years, and he had all but forgotten what the desk looked like. To him, the symbol of his status was a pile of hide parchments, reports from all over the city. It was an endless pile of issues that require his attention, a pile that seemed to be without end. Once upon a time, he had dreamed of being the head of the clan; he was such an idealistic moron. Once, he had believed that he could change everything, that under his watch, the city would grow into a high-class city, that everyone's lives would change for the better.

It wasn't until he became head of the clan that he understood how limited a person's effort could be. He had planned to develop the harbor and expand the city. So many plans unfinished. There were not enough resources. Their military force was barely enough to protect the city as it was.

He, better than anyone, knew what state the city was in. Other thought of White Stone as a lower middle-class city, but he knew better. They were a middle-class city only in size. In essence, they were a low-class city. The quality of life here was barely better than the wild. They had just enough food to support the current population. Trade with other city was minimal. They didn't have any export to speak of. There were a handful of parts from the various aquatic Hellites that were considered exotic in other cities but they could never manage to catch enough for it to matter. All the city did was trade what cores they could collect for food.

The city was limping by; one bad season and everything could fall apart. That bad season was upon them. With the Blood Fang gone, their already limited military force had been crippled.

Michael shivered at the memories of the battle. He had never seen such ferocity, not even among the Hellites. The Blood Fang had been a major clan of the city. Their power was on par with his own clan. If the White Wolf had gone to war with the Blood Fang, Michael expected that his clan would win but only after a war of attrition that would lasted for month, and even the victory would be one of devastating cost. A clan like that and Night's force had crushed in a single afternoon.

If such a force was a friend of the city instead of an enemy, there was no telling how much the city would grow. It was one of the reasons that Michael and invited Night to join the city, despite the objections of the clan's elders. Many of the elders, of both clans, told him that the Night was too dangerous.

Michael knew better. Having Night and his creatures in the city was a gamble, yes, but he knew what they were worried about. They were afraid of losing their influence and power. Night and his creatures had more than enough power to become the dominant force in the city.

They were concerned with themselves. They rather ruled a low-class city than be a regular citizen in a high class one. Such shortsightedness. This city couldn't last as it was. There must be changes.

Even more tempting than Night's force was the treasure in Lady Emily's hand, Lady Magdelena's research. Such a treasure was worth any risk. If there was a chance to turn White Stone into a city that rival Heaven Gate, it was more than enough to justify this gamble.

Yesterday, he had come to the section of the city that Night and his creatures now occupied. Standing before the strange structure that now occupied the area where the Blood Fang headquarter used to, he had felt oddly small.

As a Magic User, his instincts were very developed. The base of every element of magic was the mind. As such, a Magic User's mental power was much more developed than normal people. Higher level Magic User's mental ability was such that they had developed a sixth sense, a pseudo-psychic ability that allowed them to perceive the nature of thing, sense danger and so on. It was not always clear but when it appeared, a Magic User learned never to ignore it.

Standing in front of the strange leathery building with fangs producing from its base and top, Michael had felt…humbled. He didn't know that the building was a Zerg Lair, the cradle of the swarm, but through the building, he had felt a shadow of the telepathic web that connected all the Zerg. To him, the building seemed to be connected to the entire world, and he had felt small and inconsequential.

Gemma had emerged from the building, accompanied by Eve. In his eyes, they had appeared like goddesses, one of heaven and of hell. Gemma had wore a simple outfit for Force User made of leather and fur but Michael had felt a gentleness from her. He had felt as though she was a goddess, ready to welcome the world into her embrace, and in her arms, the world would grow brighter.

From Eve, he had felt a pressure unlike anything he had ever felt before. Whereas Gemma looked like a Goddess of Peace, Eve felt like an Empress of War. Her curvy body covered in a provocative suit of scale armor, Michael couldn't help but picture her riding into battle in front of a vast legion, crushing anyone who dared stand before her. That inhumanly beautiful face would bring naught but despair to those who would gaze upon it.

He had been so fluster that all he could manage was a meek request for an audience with Night before fleeing their present. He had never been more intimidated in his entire life.

Michael leaned back in his chair and exhaled. He hoped that Night would show up and that this meeting would go well. If Night successfully helped him with the upcoming endeavor, it would go a long way in silencing the mutterings inside his clan.

The door of his chamber opened, pulling Michael out of his thoughts. His assistant, a twenty-two years old woman with long red hair, entered. Following her was a young man wearing an outfit of Hellite hide. The clothing was similar to that of Force User except thinner, offering none of the protection that regular hide armors would. The young man had raven black hair, combed backward. He was extremely handsome, leaning toward inhumanly. He was a little on the thin side but Michael knew better than to underestimate him. From all indication, the Blood Fang clan fell to this one man.

"Nice place," Night said as he entered.

"Thank you," Michael said, waving away his assistant and gesturing at one of the empty chairs on the side of his desk. "Please, have a seat."

Night's eyes flickered for an instant before he nodded and sat down. "My mother said you wanted to see me?"

The image of the goddess-like woman flashed through Michael's head but he forced it away. "How have the city been treating you?"

Night's eyes flickered again and this time, Michael caught it. He was curious but didn't give it much thought, not knowing that his mannerism was so akin to that of a distant world called Earth. So much so that in him, Night saw a fragment of his other home-world, and his impression of Michael was steadily increasing.

Night shrugged. "The city isn't as quite as I expected. I had thought it would be a bit more developed."

Michael's left eye twitched once. He loved this city. He would give his life to improve the city and improved the quality of life of the people in it. That the city was all but a collection of hovels was a relatively sore subject for him.

Night eyed his expression and said, "Sorry."

Michael sighed. "It's alright. You're not wrong. This city has wondrous potential. If only we have the resources."

Night arched a brow and smirked. Michael returned with a discreet smile of his own. The resource Michael had his eyes on was the swarm and he knew that Night knew that.

"Ok," Night said, "let's just be honest. I don't much like the double speak of civility. What do you want?"

"As you wish," Michael said. "I need your help."

Night waited.

"Spring is coming," Michael continued. "The winter snows are all but gone. The Night Raven and my clan have decided to send out our first merchant caravan. Due to recent events, we do not have enough people to protect the caravan."

"You mean because I slaughtered the Blood Fang, you're now shorthanded."

Michael didn't disagree. At the same time, his mind absorbed the new bit of information about Night. Night seemed to be very direct person. He would have to shift his action accordingly. It was one of the things required of the head of a clan and a city, to change himself accordingly depending on who he was dealing with in order to bring the greatest benefit to his clan and city. All thing consider, Michael much prefer Night's blunt honestly than the pretenses and double-speak required when dealing with others of status.

"So do you want me to protect he caravan or the city?" Night said.

"We want you to protect the caravan," Michael said.

At the moment, neither of the clans trusted Night enough to hand the city into his protection. In truth, Michael himself wasn't all that comfortable with the idea. Asking Night to help protect the city would require allowing Night's force to set up in a few key positions. If Night decided to turn against the city, the damage would be crippling. Admittedly, the clans would set up Force Users and Magic Users at the same spot but Michael doubted that conventional Force and Magic Users could match the creatures under Night command. Of course, if Night was adamant in destroying the city, Michael honestly doubted that they could defend the city. The best they could hope for was mutual destruction.

"How much protection do you need?" Night said.

"Used to be, two clans would protect the city and the third would be responsible for the caravan. My clan usually sends out a little over half of our military force; that's about two thousand to twenty-five hundred Force Users and about three hundred to four hundred Magic Users."

Night stared at him for a few moments. "Is the trip that dangerous?"

"Sometimes," Michael said. "Beside the Hellites, we have to worry about the raiding parties that many the larger cities send out."

Night frowned slightly.

"If our city is powerful enough, the raiding party would give our trading caravans a wide berth but as things stand, the banner of White Stone doesn't really carry that much weight," Night continued.

There was another way to avoid raiding parties and that was alliance with other cities, but no city was willing to enter an alliance with White Stone since the city did not generate enough food or have control of an important resource.

"I'll send five thousand Hydralisks and five thousands Roaches with the caravan. When do you want to head out?" Night said.

"We will be ready by tomorrow morning," Michael said, trying his best to keep his elation in check.

Michael didn't know what Hydralisks or Roaches were but he understood the number. Ten thousands. That was the largest force they had ever sent with any caravan. This was beyond just the success of a single trade caravan. The display of such a force on the open plain would go a long way to increase the city's standing.

"Where?" Night said.

"We'll meet outside the southern gate."

"Done."

Night stood up and headed toward the door. Before he left, however, Night turned back to Michael.

"Do you handle all of those parchments yourself?" he asked.

Michael was a bit taken back by the question. He didn't answer, trying to guess at Night's reason for asking the question.

"I'm just wondering why you don't have a few helpers," Night said.

"Well…some of the subjects are rather sensitive," Michael said.

"Dude, if you don't have one or two people that you absolutely trust, you have a big problem."

Michael didn't know what to say to that. As much as he would like to argue the point, he knew that Night was right. Problem was, when Michael try to come up with someone to help him, no one came to mind. There was more than enough internal conflict in his own clan, and people from the Night Raven clan was out of the question.

Michael felt alone and weary. He felt as though the weight of the entire city was on his shoulders.

"By the way, this is in no way me offering my service," Night continued, pulling Michael from his thoughts. "I'm getting dizzy just looking at your desk. I'm just saying you should delegate more."

With that, Night ducked out, leaving Michael alone with a pile of problems that needed his attention.

That afternoon, one of the Force User on duty at the beach came to him and reported Night had his forces had entered the sea and was killing all the aquatic Hellites in the area. By the time Michael got to the beach, the bodies of several hundred Hellites were floating in the water. When asked, Night said that his sister wanted to go for a swim so he'd decided to clear the area of Hellites. In the water, Michael could see a vague shadow of dozens of constructs that looked like giant fleshy flowers about a hundred paces from the shore. He also saw a carpet of purple gel at the bottom of the sea, covering the entire beach and deep into the ocean.

Night explained to him that the fleshy structures were called Creep Colonies and that they would kill any Hellite who entered the area. As though proving his word, one of the structures contracted and spat out a green glob that tore through the water. A few moments later, the body of a large Hellite floated to the surface of the water, a gaping hole where its stomach used to be.

Night only took the bodies of two Hellites and left the rest. After a while, the boats mustered enough courage to collect the bodies. It was by far the biggest haul the city had ever had in a single afternoon. The air was fairly buzzing with excitement and joy.

By that night, everyone in the city had heard of the event at the beach and the name Dawn, Daughter of Gemma, was known by virtually the entire city. Michael took that little fact and stored it in the back of his mind. Night had caused that big of a commotion just because his little sister wanted to take a swim; the little girl seemed to be one of Night's soft spots. Of course, he had no plan to take advantage of Dawn. Any attempt to do so could backfire and earned his entire clan the ire of Night. Still, he explicitly ordered his entire clan to treat Night's sister along with his mother with respect, and to take every opportunity to earn their goodwill.

The next morning, Michael went to the city's southern gate. Waiting for him were near a hundred Force Users, each with their own wooden handcart. Most of the Force Users were from his own clan. Ten of them were from the Night Raven. This was the agreement among the clans. Every caravan had to have members to represent all the clans in the city. This was to prevent whichever clan in charge from making secret deals with other cities or short-changing the other clans.

Each cart was only line with the bones and the smooth hides of aquatic Hellites. This was the city's primary exports. The bones could be grinded up and mixed with other herb to make medicines. The bones of aquatic Hellites had a translucent quality to them and the women of high-city liked decorative items made from them. As for the hides of aquatic Hellites, they were thinner than that of terrestrial Hellites but just as durable.

The bones and hides of aquatic Hellites were highly sought after. Unfortunately, White Stone's output was minimal and they weren't the only coastal city. As such, the hides and bones did not increase the city's standing. All White Stone could do was trade with a few clans of more powerful middle-class city to supplement White Stone's food supply.

Whenever Michael saw a caravan leaving the city, he would felt a touch of melancholy. These caravans were the best representation of the state the city was in. If all the goods were gathered, they wouldn't even fill twenty carts to capacity. The extra carts were in expectation of the food they had to buy. If not for what happened at the beach yesterday, they wouldn't even have this much. A good portion of the city's population had gathered Night's leftovers and worked through the night in preparation for today.

Michael had received words that the Creep Colonies had been killing Hellites through the night, that the people working on the coast had wakened up to the bodies of over a hundred Hellites floating in the water.

Hopefully, this rate would continue. Hopefully, the city would change for the better, and all of Michael's hopes were there upon the field. Surrounding the caravans were ten thousand creatures, the force that Night promised. The horde contained two types of creatures. He couldn't tell which were Hydralisks and which were Roaches.

The horde milled about, chitterling and clicking among themselves. After a while, an orb-like creature with giant limp and hanging tendrils descended onto the area. Michael had seen such creatures when the Blood Fang was destroyed.

The creature landed. Its side opened and Night stepped out. He eyed the Force Users and the carts for a few moments before turning to Michael.

"Please tell me this isn't the caravan," he said.

Michael felt a touch of embarrassment along with irritation. Still, he kept his tone civilized. "It is."

Night took a deep breath and pinched the ridge of his nose. "You're telling me you're planning to push these rickety carts by hand all the way?"

"That's how we have always done it," Michael said.

Only higher middle-class cities along with high-class cities used wagons in their trading caravans. Such cities tended to have a few Tamers to domesticated Hellites and have them pulled the wagon. White Stone had only one Tamer and the handful of Hellites he domesticated was all use in the city's military force. A merchant caravan was too high a risk for those commodities.

"Good lord, how long is this trip supposes to take then?" Night said.

"A month and a half, oftentimes two," Michael said. He felt his irritation rising. Night's tone sounded like that of a spoiled child to him. The city had limited resources; it wasn't as though they had a choice.

"Yeah, we're not doing this," Night said.

Michael froze. Never mind that this job was a chance for Michael to prove to the clans the usefulness of Night and his force, their food supply was running low. This trip was necessary for the survival of the city.

If Night backed out, they would have no choice but to use the Force Users and Magic Users of the clans to protect the caravan. This would cripple the city's defense, and Michael knew better than to believe that some of the other cities wouldn't take advantage of the opening.

One common way for a city on Luminous to raise its status was to subjugate another city. After the Blood Fang fell, there had been rumors that some of the neighboring cities were preparing to move on White Stone. Even some of the cities that White Stone had relatively good relation with had been pressuring his clan to pledge White Stone as a subordinate city to them. Michael briefly wondered in if this was the only way for his clan to survive.

"I don't mean we are not going," Night continued, pulling him from his thought. "I'm just saying we are not using the carts, and I am certainly not keeping my swarm off creep for two months."

Michael understood enough to know that the 'creep' was the purple gel that surrounded Night's buildings. Seemed Night was uncomfortable taking his creatures off the gel for too long a period.

"Give me an hour," Night said.

"What is an 'hour'?" Michael said.

Night floundered somewhat. "It…it's a measurement of time. A day is divided into twenty-four hours."

Technically, a Luminous day lasted for twenty-six hours and forty-two minutes, but Night never had an accurate way to measure time. As for Michael, this was the first time he had ever heard of such a measurement. The people in White Stone had always told time by the position of the sun.

"Why twenty-four?" Michael said. "Why not ten or twenty?"

Night stared at him. "You know, I have no idea. I was taught that so I never question it. I wonder why they don't divide a day into a rounder number."

Michael briefly wondered who 'they' was. Who was it that taught Night? Were they the same people who gave him dominion over this vast army of beasts?

Michael shook the thought away. The people who gave Night such power, if they did exist, were not the kind of people Michael could mess with. If he were to inquire too much, he might even earn their wrath if he was too presumptuous.

After a length of time that Michael assumed was an hour, he saw a fleet of creatures identical to the one that had carried Drake. There were a hundred of them, closing very quickly. Five of the creatures touched down and unload another type of creatures with pincers and membrane wings.

"What…" Night said.

"Those are Drones. They're use to collect and move resources."

Michael expression flickered. He didn't know that Night's horde had non-combat creatures.

He waved the Force Users off when they moved to stop the Drones as the creatures headed for the carts. He watched in fascination as the Drones transferred the goods in the carts onto their backs and carried them to two waiting balloon creatures, which proved superfluous. All the goods could have been packed into one.

Ten balloon creatures landed and their sides open.

"Ok, whoever is going, please entered the Overlords," Night said.

Michael eyed the balloon creatures. So these were called Overlords. From the name, he guessed that these creatures held some kind of administrative position in the horde. He was trying his best to understand Night's force. The more he understood them, the better he could deal with Night's Horde.

After a moment hesitation, Michael entered one of the Overlords. Half a dozen Force Users followed him into the Overlord. The rest distributed themselves into the other Overlords.

"Good luck," Night said, waving. "Bring back gifts."

"You're not coming?" Michael said.

"Of course not. I'm not going to leave my family alone in this city. You think I trust you people?"

Before Michael could response, the Overlords closed and rose into the air.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Tide**

Night watched the caravan disappeared into the horizon. A trade caravan of a minor city, and yet he knew the import of this day. This was the swarm's first foray into the wider world of Luminous. In time, all of this world would know of the Zerg.

The next few days were uneventful. Night divided his time between his family, Emily, and keeping watch over the caravan through his Overlords.

The swarm was growing steadily. Night spent half the energy the creep carpet gathered in the morphing of new Zerg while saving half for the evolution to the next stage. He did not give specific instruction as to what kind of Zerg should be morphed. It seemed that even the larvae had minds of their own. They wanted to be Roaches and Hydralisks like human children dreamed of being doctors and astronauts. A handful wanted to be Overlords; a couple even wanted to be Drones. In the days after the caravan left, however, no new Zergling was born. Not a single larva wanted to become a Zergling.

"What's wrong with the Zerglings?" Emily asked Night on the third day after the caravan left.

Night was at the beach, sitting in a folding lawn chair made of wood, watching the children played in the water. Two days ago, he had one of the crafter in the city created a folding lawn chair out of wood. The man had thought Night a genius for 'inventing' such a contraption. It was a popular opinion in the city the last few days, especially after he describe a sail and its effect to a group of fishermen.

"They're depressed," Night said, glancing behind Emily to see his third Zerg Queen, Selene, who was hanging back to give them some privacy. This third Queen was surprisingly thoughtful.

With the swarm's current size, he could fully power up to seven Queens, but he only made three, planning for stage three when the Queens' psionic network would increase in size. For the moment, he only needed three Queens. Eve was his mother personal bodyguard, Lilith watched over his sister, and Selene was assign to protect Emily.

"They get depressed?" Emily said.

"Yeah, I was surprised too."

"Why are they depressed?"

Night sighed. "Apparently because I didn't include them in the trading caravan, they think that I think that they're useless."

"Do you?" Emily said

Night fell silent. He didn't want to say it out loud but a part of him did think that. In the game, Zerglings were viable because of limited physical resource and times. They were incorporated into various builds because they were cheap and quick to make. Building Zerglings freed up other resources, especially Vespene Gas for other units like Mutalisks or Infestors.

In real life, such consideration was unnecessary. In virtually any respect, Hydralisks and Roaches seemed superior to Zerglings. Their extra cost was minimal, making them a better investment

"Here." He stood up and offered her the chair just as she was about to sit down on the sand.

She smiled at him. "I'm fine."

"Sweetie, the codes of chivalry dictate that I can't sit in the only chair in the area. So either you take the chair or neither of us sit."

"There's a set of codes of chivalry?" Emily said.

"Yes, although it had all but disappeared into history." Night left out that it was Earth's history.

"How do you know all of this?" Emily said. "Your mother said you grew up in the wild and yet you knew of things I never have never even heard of."

Night smirked at her. "Well, aren't we high and mighty?"

Emily stared at him.

Night smiled wider and held his hand toward the chair.

Sighing, Emily got up off the sand and took the offered seat.

"I'll show you one day," Night said, staring out at the sea.

"When?" Emily demanded.

Night turned toward her and did his best to stop smiling at her half-pout. He could understand her irritation. It wasn't just her; his mother was the same. They were both very curious about where he'd learned all his knowledge, and his answered had always been 'I'll show you one day'. His mother was willing to take that on faith; it seemed Emily wasn't as easy.

"When my swarm can swim across the stars," he said. He didn't want to be mysterious, but he honestly doubted that they would believe him. Whenever he spoke of other worlds, he could see the doubts in their eyes. It was similar to the look they had whenever they overhear one of the fairytales he told his sister. The stories amused them but a part of them, whether large or small, doubted the legitimacy of his words. They would believe when they could see for themselves.

A space of silent passed before Gemma, coming to stand beside Night. Behind her, the Zerg Queen Eve stood with her sister, Selene.

Night glanced at her. "Hello, mother. How was your day?"

She smiled at him. "Fine, dear."

As Night's mother, Gemma had been very well received by the so called 'high society' of the city. The leaders of the major clans in the city had urged their wives to befriend Gemma, hoping that, through her, they could gleaned some information about the swarm, perhaps even gaining a measure of influence over Night.

As long as they didn't try anything stupid, Night didn't really mind.

Gemma gazed out at the ocean, a touch of worry in her eyes. "Your sister is out there?"

"Yeah," Night nodded, "along with a dozen other children." He glanced at his mother. "Don't worry, mother, there's not a Hellite within five miles of her. The fishermen have to travel far out to sea in order to fish."

Dawn had become very popular among the children of the city. She rarely ever went anywhere anymore without a gaggle of younglings following her, and it was no wonder. She had access to a limitless amount of fruits and the Zerg swarm. Once you got passed their demonic appearance and assuming you know where to sit, most of the Zerg units made wonderful mounds, an irresistible attraction for children.

Night found it a little amusing how little it was to buy the affection of children. A few treats, a fun game, and you'll be their best friends. It also worried him and was one of the primary reasons there was always thousands of Zerg near his sister. And last but not least, the Zerg Queen Lilith was constantly by her side.

Emily stood up. "I should get back to my students."

Night glanced at her. "I'm beginning to regret telling you to teach those people."

Emily resisted a smile. Lately, she had spent all her time teaching the people who was now known of as the Haven Field Clan of Whitestone, and Night had more than once expressed his displeasure at her spending so little time with him. It was a little childish and a bit selfish, but it showed much he cared for her. It was always nice to be wanted. That, and had never inhibited her in any way, despite his feelings.

She walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek as a consolation price. She would kiss him on the lips but his mother was there, and she was too embarrassed. It was one of her quirks; if she was alone with him then she was like any other young woman, but if there was a third person present, she would become shyer than a rabbit.

With a faint blush on her cheeks, she turned but before she could walk away, Night grabbed her arm. Her heart broke into a sprint and her cheeks flared. She wondered what he was thinking; his mother was here. When she turned to him, however, she saw him staring into the distance in the opposite direction of the ocean, a frown on his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"There is an extremely large group of Hellites heading toward the city," Night said.

Emily froze and Gemma paled.

"A tide?" Gemma whispered.

"Looks that way," Night said.

Hellite tides were the single greatest threat to the various towns and cities on Luminous. The deep forests of the planet were in a constant state of warfare between different pacts of Hellites. Every year, the territories of hundreds of Hellites pacts were taken over by more powerful pacts. The pacts that lost their territories would take over the territories of weaker Hellite pacts. This chain reaction would trickle down until thousands of Hellites were driven from the forest. These Hellites would band together and attack various human settlements, creating tides of Hellites.

Some people theorized that this phenomenon occurred due to a base instinct of the Hellites. Without the forest to sustain them, human settlements were the only places that could provide the Hellite pacts with enough food. Even if they could not take down a city, their number would decrease enough that they could survive outside the forest.

"How many?" Emily asked.

"At least sixty thousands," Night said.

This time, Emily paled. This was the first time Gemma had ever experienced a Hellite tide so the number held no significant to her. It was different for Emily; she had seen Hellite tides before.

The largest Hellite tide White Stone had ever experience was ten years before she was born. From the record, that tide number twenty-five thousands. Back then, White Stone had a force of fifteen thousand. By the end of that battle, barely one thousand White Stone defenders remained. Lady Magdelena had been there for that battle and she had told Emily that it was a miracle their city had survived.

Now, they were facing a force of at least sixty thousands. Many higher cities would be hard pressed to defend against such a force without severe damage, and they only had a force of nine thousands. This was not going to be a battle; it was going to be a catastrophe.

Emily stared at Night. He was their only chance for survival.

"I'll see what I can do," he said.

"I'll go warn the clans," Emily said before running off.

Night watched as Emily disappeared before turning to Gemma. "Mom, I want you to get Dawn and leave this city, just in case."

"Can you save the city?" Gemma asked.

"Maybe."

At the moment, he only had six thousand Zerg in the city, and two thousands of them were Zerglings. He had left his main swarm in the forest to protect his hatcheries. Only the thirty thousand Zerglings and his Overlords would be able to reach the city in time. His Overlords could carry about another ten thousand Roaches and Hydralisks to the city. They would still be outnumbered. The primary fighting force would be Zerglings and they have to hold out for nearly two hours before the rest of the swarm could get here.

Gemma hesitated for a moment before rushing toward the ocean.

Night eyed the two Zerg Queens who had remained behind. "Eve. Selene."

"You are heading into battle," Eve said.

"Yes, and?"

"The primary duty of the Queens is to protect the Overmind."

"You can protect me by keeping my family safe."

"You are outnumbered, Overmind," Selene said. "If you wish to protect the city, we would be a big asset in battle."

"No," Night said. "If this city dies, then it dies. I will not compromise my family's safety to save it."

While he wanted to save the people in the city, his family's safety was paramount, and this world was far too dangerous for him to leave either his mom or his sister without the protection of a queen. If it came down to a choice, he would leave the entire city to die without a moment hesitation.

"Go," he told the Queens.

He knew they didn't want to, but they were a part of his swarm, and his orders were absolute. They turned and went in opposite directions: Eve heading toward the sea while Selene went into the city.

Night stayed on the beach until an Overlord came and picked up Gemma and Dawn. Once he'd confirmed that his mother and sister were on their way out of the city, he headed into the city.

He made his way to the city wall and climbed the steps. The battlements were filled with Force and Magic Users on high alert. By his order, all of the Hydralisks in the city were also on the wall, taking position to fire between the parapets.

He could feel one of his Queens nearby and scanned the wall. It wasn't difficult for him to spot a figure with skeletal wings. Standing next to the Zerg Queen was Emily and Arthur. He ascended the steps to the top of the battlement and made his way over to Selene. When he neared, they turned to him.

Emily's face lit up when she saw him and the worry in her eyes faded somewhat. "You're here."

He smiled at her. "Did you think I wouldn't be?"

He walked to her side and they all stared into the horizons. The tide was not there yet, but there was an oppressive hush weighing down everyone.

"How long do we have?" Arthur asked.

"About an hour," Night said.

They fell silent again and Night eyed the city's defenders. The forces of White Stone were weaker than he anticipated. Of nine thousands defenders, eight thousands of them were level four and lower. There were only about a thousand level fives and two or three of dozens of level six. As for level sevens, Night could only count five. To make matter worse, Force Users outnumbered Magic Users almost ten to one

"What's going on?" he asked Emily. "I thought every family had to have at least a level five Force User."

"A family needs a level five Force User or a level three Magic Users to join a city," Emily said. "Once a level five joins a city, his descendant isn't required to be a level five, at least, not in White Stone. I have heard that some cities do absolve a family citizenship if a family's descendants aren't strong enough, but they are usually high-class cities."

Night mulled the information over. He could see the legitimacy to such line of thinking. Giving citizenship to a family with a level five was an investment. Growing up with the teaching of a high level parent, it was likely that the children would have a measure of power themselves. There was also a chance, down the line, that a descendant could match or even exceeded their ancestors. He supposed that, on this planet, middle and low-class city couldn't afford to be choosy.

"Maybe you should leave," Night said, gazing at Emily, "just in case."

She scowled at him. "I'm not going to run. You need as much help as you can get."

Night sighed. "You are a level three Magic User. No offense, but your power won't make a difference. If we can't do it without you, we can't do it at all."

Emily turned away from him and looked beyond the wall. "I am not leaving."

Night sighed again and turned his attention to the field beyond the wall. At the foot of the battlement, his Zerglings and Roaches were milling about, a chaotic horde of flashing scythe-limbs, chomping teeth, and fluttering wings. He could feel their excitement at the coming battle. Thousands of them and not one of them was worry that they were severely outnumbered.

He frowned slightly, looking at the chaotic mess on the grass below. He sent out a command, and the Zerg below fell into rank, forming a square formation.

Watching them, a thought occurred to him. He was reminded of an episode he saw on the Discovery Channel back on Earth dealing with ancient warfare, specifically the battle tactic of Roman soldiers.

The Roman Empire owed their supremacy in no small part to their army. Compared to other countries of its time, the Roman army had the best equipments and trainings. In battle, the soldiers of Rome moved as a collective unit, moving and striking in harmony. Their shields not only protected themselves but also their comrades. They formed ranks and moved in formations; all the individual units joined to become a stronger whole.

If the Zerglings could do the same. If they form ranks and formations. In term of equipments, the Zerglings bladed limbs could tear through neo-steel. As for discipline, they would obey his orders to the letter, even if he ordered them to kill themselves.

Feeling a touch of excitement, he began to issue orders to the Zerglings in his swarms. He ordered them to pair up. He told them to work in tandem, one defending while the other attacked.

He ordered his Zergs to abandon their square formation and formed three triangle formations instead with Zerglings on the outside and Roaches in the middle. This was a makeshift wedge formation he had come up on the spot.

As the formations took shape, Night felt a little better. Of course, he knew they weren't out of the wood yet. Up until now, the Zerglings had always been fighting on pure instinct; Night couldn't be sure if they would be able to change their battle style on the spot like this. Even if they could, there was no telling how effective his strategy would be.

For the last part of his strategy, Night ordered five hundred Zerglings to morph into Banelings. Within seconds, numerous Zerglings swelled up and transformed into fleshy, pulsing cocoons.

He was tempted to morph all of his Zerglings into Banelings. Unfortunately, the Roaches' range was too limited to be of any use on top of the wall. They would be far more effective on the ground. The problem was that there weren't enough of them. If he morphed all the Zerglings into Banelings, the Roaches would be completely overwhelmed once the battle started.

The thought annoyed him so much that his teeth almost itched. One of the Zerg's claims to fame was their overwhelming number. The idea that they would be outnumbered was really offensive to Night. This battle was a smack in his face, a giant billboard depicting how much he had fail as an Overmind.

Once the Banelings finished morphing, he loaded them into twenty Overlords, and that was it. He had done all he could. All that was left was to wait.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: Storm Queen**

The Hellite tide soon came into view of the city. Even though Night had seen the tide through the eyes of his Overlord, he still couldn't keep himself from sucking in a breath. A horde of teeth, fangs, and fur blanketed the horizon, streaming toward the city wall.

The ground shook with their approach. Their screeches and roars chilled the souls of the city's defenders.

Night could feel his Zerglings' desire to charge and ordered them to hold their position. At the same time, he commanded the Banelings-filled Overlords forward. He had to slow the tide's charge. If the Hellite hit them at full speed, they would roll over their primary defense and directly attack the wall.

Twenty Overlords formed a line and floated over the Hellites. Once they reached the Hellites, the Zerg carriers began to carpet-bomb the tide. Acid-bloated Banelings fell down from above. Virtually every Hellites within twenty yards were melted within seconds by the corrosive acid; within fifty yards, at least half were mortally wounded, the rest were severely injured. Beyond that, some Hellites as far as a hundred yards suffered minor injuries from spattered acid.

Night had suspected that Banelings had grown stronger when the swarm evolved into stage two but it was still a pleasant surprise to be proven right.

The Hellites charge slowed, but they proved that they possessed a measure of intelligence. In little time, they seemed to have figured out that that the floating creatures above was the source of their deaths.

Elemental energy lit the air. A storm of lightning, fire, wind, erupted. Bolts of light and shadow energy along with needles of ice and spikes of stones shot upward. Their range caught Night off guard and two of his Overlords perished in the onslaught. They did not go quietly, however. As the Overlords burst apart, the Banelings within simultaneously detonated. The force of the explosions scattered acid over an extensive area. The death of the two Overlords created a rain of acid over an area nearly two thousands yards in diameter. Because the area was so large, there was not that many fatalities, but the number of injuries were incalculable.

Night ordered his Overlords to ascend, putting them out of the range of the Hellites on the ground. Unfortunately, this did not put them out of reach of the flying Hellites in the tide.

Thankfully, Overlords weren't as helpless as they were in the game. When a bird-like Hellite with bat wings got near one of the Overlords, the Zerg backhanded the creature, breaking its neck and sending it spiraling to the ground. At almost the same time, another Overlord grabbed a flying Hellite and tore it in two, its blood and organs raining down onto the tide below.

One on one, an Overlord could more than hold its own against a flying Hellite, but they were heavily outnumbered. Even so, the Overlords showed no pause or fear. They pushed forward, defending themselves with their arms while continuing their bombing mission.

The Overlords quickly finished their mission. Of the twenty, however, only twelve returned. The flying Hellites attempted to pursue the Overlords but were shot down by the Hydralisks.

The bombardment had greatly slowed the Hellites' charge as Night intended, but the tide was still advancing. As soon as they came within firing range of the Hydralisk, Night ordered the attack.

Wave of spines tore through the air. Hellites fell by the dozens.

The tide did not pause.

Watching the Hellites stepping on the bodies of their deads, the corpses disappearing as though consume by the relentless tide of beasts, Night felt a touch of admiration; these Hellites could easily passed for Zerg.

Several thousand Hellites perished before the tide neared the wall. Night ordered his Zerglings and Roaches forward. He had wanted to establish a line of defenses but it wasn't a good idea to provide the Hellites with stationary targets, especially with their elemental powers. Night had considered trenches but against such overwhelming number, trenches were just pre-dug graves.

The Zerglings and Roaches formation slammed into the Hellites. The wedge formations halted for a moment before breaking through the Hellites' front line. The three groups of Zerg worked together, disrupting the Hellites' charge as much as possible, limiting the number and size of the Hellite groups that broke through. Only a handful managed to reach the wall and greeted them was a wave of magic energy from the city's defenders.

He was surprised to see that the Force Users weren't doing anything except taking defensive positions around the Magic Users, waiting to protect them. Weren't there bows and arrows on this stupid planet? Were the humans here so dependent upon Magic Users that the only job of Force Users was protection detail?

Somewhat exasperated Night turned his attention back to the battle bellow. His idea seemed to be working. At point blank melee, the Zerglings, working together, could kill any Hellite.

And then, magic fell.

Elemental energies sliced into the formation. Night could feel his Zerg dying, each consciousness blinking out. He knew that they would be reborn, that no Zerg truly die. Still, it wasn't pleasant seeing them vanishing beneath the flashes of magic.

"My swarm fights and dies for a race not even their own," Night whispered, feeling an urge to jump from the wall and joined the battle, to battle alongside his Zerg.

He suppressed the desire. He was of more use to his swarm as a commander, not as a soldier. He closed his eyes and simultaneously connected with all of his Overlords. The battlefield appeared in his mind, multiple angles, all at once. It took a moment for him to combine all the side into a singular map. He could see all, all but the look of concern in Emily's eyes, a look of concerned that had appeared after his whispered statement.

He focused upon the Hellites, ordering the Overlord to send him information. Biologists on Earth said that a human brain was a computer, more advance than any supercomputer that existed in the twentieth century. He wanted to use his brain as such a computer.

He spent a few minutes just absorbing data: which Hellites used what attack, their range, what behavior they exhibited before they attack, where they attacked. He hoped that he could predict their attacks and their targets.

It was much easier said than done. For the first few minutes, the information that flowed into his head became a jumbled mess. He couldn't make head or tail of the chaos in his brain. Every moment passed, the number of his Zerg decreased.

Inhaling deeply, he tried to group the information base on their similarity, relating the behaviors to the Hellites and then trying to identify the Hellites of the same kind.

It helped a little bit but not by much. At best, he could predict about ten percents of the magical attacks. Fifteen minutes in, the number of Zerglings had been half, and twenty percents of the Roaches were gone.

His swarm was getting overwhelmed.

By the grace of heaven, twenty minutes in, backup arrive. Hundreds of Overlords along with thirty thousand Zerglings appeared on the horizon. He grouped the Zerglings into wedge formations and ordered them forward. Thirty thousand Zerglings combined into sixty triangles and slammed into the Hellite from behind. They sliced into the tide like blade, opening path of his swarm to get to the city wall.

He ordered his Overlords to unload their charges on top of the wall. The Hydralisks reinforced with wall defenses while the Roaches jumped down and joined the battle. Once the Overlords were emptied, Night ordered them to liftoff and go pick up more Zerg.

While flanking an enemy army would greatly increase the chance of victory, if he hit the back of the tide, it would drive the Hellites toward the wall. With the city's defense as it was, the Hellites would break through and flood the city. The hammer and anvil tactic only work if the anvil was made of steel, not tofu.

With the reinforcement, the swarm managed to hold back the tide. Unfortunately, with the increase in the number of Zerg, the number of skirmishes increased across the battlefield, and Night had to increase the number of his calculations.

For half an hour, it was working. He was able to calculate about one out of every ten magic attacks from the Hellites and warned the targeted Zerg. After that period of time however, the strain on his mind proved to be too much.

At first, it was just a buzzing in his head, but it quickly built into a dull ache that worsened with every passing minute. After an hour, the pain was so bad he could barely think straight. He tried to ignore it, but the agony rapidly reached a critical point. The Overlords sense the strain to his mind and, as one, they forcefully severed their connections to him.

Night fell to his knees, clutching his head. It was the first time his swarm had defied his will, but he knew that they did it to protect him.

Through the haze of agony in his head, he heard someone yelling his name. He turned his head and, through blurry sight, realized that Emily was calling him.

"You're bleeding!" she said.

It took a moment for him to notice the wetness on his lips. He reached up and wiped his mouth. His fingers came away covered in blood.

"Leave the city," he said.

"What?" she said.

"Leave the city. We can't hold this."

"I can't leave you."

"Damn it, Emily!" he snapped. "You're not strong enough to be of any help! All you are is a liability!"

Emily flinched and she bit her lips. She looked down, her hands clenched at her side. He could feel her turmoil. She didn't want to leave but she knew he was right.

Suddenly, her head snapped up.

"Then make me stronger," she said.

"What?" he said, floundering somewhat.

"Make me stronger," Emily repeated. "You can temporary give a human Zerg ability, can't you? Grant me the ability of a Queen. I can use the Psionic Focus to fuel my power."

"You're insane! We don't know if that would work."

"What would it hurt?"

Night bristled. He didn't like to go down this road with her. The only other person he had given Zerg ability to was his mother, and the event had affected her far more than she had left on. While she hadn't said anything or act out of the ordinary, sometimes he could see a glint in her eyes, a spark of craze devotion that one would expect to see in the gaze of a religious zealot.

He so didn't want to go down the same road with Emily. 

But what choice did he have? She was far too stubborn to leave and if she stayed, there was no telling what danger she faced. If he gave her the power of a Queen, at the very least she would have to power to defend herself.

As he was struggling with a decision, a group of Hellite broke through the barrage of magic energy and Hydralisk spines, and one of them managed to climb onto the wall. A psionic shockwave from Selene shattered the creature's skeletal structure and blew him off the wall. A second shockwave crushed the Hellites at the food of the wall into the wall, killing them instantly.

Night eyed the broken bodies of the Hellites and the chaotic battle below. "Fine," he said, turning back to Emily, "but if this does not help, do you agree to leave the city?"

"Fine," Emily said.

Night inhaled deeply and looked over Emily's shoulder. "Selene."

The Zerg Queen nodded and placed a hand on Emily's back. Emily stiffened and let out a gasp as a stream of energy surged into her body. She began to tremble for a few seconds before a set of skeletal wings exploded from her back. The formation of the wings shredded her clothes. There was a split second before a wave of scales appeared, rippling across her skin, forming a suit of armor that hugged her every curve.

Since Night was standing in front of her and Selene was standing behind her, the surroundings defenders and Arthur couldn't see Emily's full revelation. Of course, Night couldn't think about that. Though the suit of scales formed quickly, Night still managed to see everything.

He felt as though his blood had been lit on fire. He almost forgot about the battle below. The survival or death the city almost seemed inconsequential. Dominating almost every corner of his mind was her.

The transformation finished quickly. Emily flexed her wings, inhaling deeply, tasting the air with her new Zerg senses. After a moment, her eyes met his. Her lips curved into an adoring and seductive smile.

"Overmind," she whispered, drawing closer. She swayed as she moved. She only took two steps but each seemed to enhance her curves, enticing him.

"My Queen," he muttered, reaching forward. As his hand brushed her shoulder, the scales receded, baring the smooth skin below to his touch.

He wanted to give in to his desire. He knew he have her. As she was, she wouldn't deny him. But he couldn't, not while the consciousnesses of the Zerg below were blinking out one after the other.

"Our swarm," he said to her.

Emily let out a sighed. "Of course, Overmind."

She turned to the battle below. He could feel her fury at the Hellites below. In her mind, the Hellites were lesser beasts. It angered her that they would dare to challenge her Overmind. Worse, they had impeded her time with him. 

Emily's right hand flashed out and a bolt of lightning exploded from her slender finger to slam into the tide below. A group of Hellites exploded, burned pieces of flesh flying into the air. She fired one bolt after another, and below her, Hellites died by block at a time.

A Zerg Queen's telekinesis would strong enough to crush buildings or delicate enough to pick up a block of tofu without breaking it. Though Emily's lightning power lack that kind of versatility, it more than make up for it in destructive power. She stood upon the battlement, a vengeful goddess; where her light touched, only death remained; where her wrath struck, the ground was charred black.

After two dozen bolts, Night could feel Emily's getting angrier. She climbed onto the parapet and held up her arms.

A massive burst of psionic power erupted and shot into the sky. Through his connection with his Overlords and Emily, Night could feel the electromagnetic field overhead beginning to warp. The heaven seemed to trembled before darkening. Black clouds materialized, blanketing the heaven and blocking out the sun.

There was no moisture in the air to signal rain. The air, instead, hum with power. Night could feel electricity building above his head. Lightning began to appear, a stream of electricity swirling among the cloud, like a gigantic serpent of light that was awakening.

The pressure pushed down on all of them like a mountain. The Hellites below began to tremble and retreat. They had shown no pause against the combine might of the Zerg swarm and White Stone, but the tide feared her.

As the pressure build, Emily began to rise into the air, as though being pulled upward by the clouds above.

"Uh oh," Night muttered.

"What is it?" Arthur said.

"Get off the wall," he said, tearing her eyes from the figure levitating above their head. "Everyone, get off the wall!"

Concern rippled through the ranks of the defenders on the battlement but no one move.

"Selene, clear the wall!" Night commanded. "Throw them off if you have to but get them away from the wall!"

Selene obeyed immediately. A massive wave of psionic force picked blew nearly two hundred people from the battlements. Dozens cried out in pain as they hit the ground from twisted ankles and broken legs.

Night frowned for a second. When he was Nathan, he'd only took one class in martial art for self defense and even he knew that you were suppose to roll with the impact. The Force User on this world may be much stronger than the people on Earth, but that very toughness and strength may have inhibited them from figuring out the minor tricks that had existed in the various martial arts of Earth for thousands of years.

Night turned his gaze back to Emily's floating figure. She was, for the moment, a Zerg Queen, and there was a connection between them. Through that connection, he could tell that she had completely lost control.

Emily might have the full power of a Queen, but the acquisition of such power was too recent. She hadn't the time to acclimated herself to the Zerg Queen's Psionic Focus ability. In her inexperience, she had set off a chain reaction that she could no longer control. Worse, her sensitivity to electricity had created a connection between her and the clouds above. The buildup of power, through this connection, had all but overwhelmed her mind. She still had enough sense to direct most of the lightning storm above in a general direction once the lightning storm reached critical mass, but that was about it.

Night sent an order to all the remaining Zerg to flee the area. Once the lightning storm hit, Hellites and Zerg alive would be incinerated. The Zerg on the battlefield closest to the wall burrowed and moved into the city. Unfortunately, there were still thousands of Zerg too far out to enter the city. He ordered them all to burrow and began to move as far away as possible.

They didn't get very far before the clouds exploded. All the energy that had built up in the heaven streamed down to earth. The field burst into flames. Half a mile worth of wall were consumed by lightning. The tide shattered. Hellites vanished by the hundreds, shrieking as the tempest swallowed them.

Even the burrowed Zerg were not unscathed. The layer of soil gave them some protection but it wasn't enough. A direct strike would pierce the ground and speared the unfortunate Zerg, burning carapaces and internal organs alike.

The Zerg in the area was dying nearly half as fast as the Hellites. Of course, the Hellites number was double that of the Zerg. At this rate, once the Hellites were gone, so would his swarm, and even though he still had a sizable number of Zerg that wasn't in the area, he couldn't afford the lost. If all the Zerg her died, he was afraid that there wouldn't be enough to protect both his hatcheries and the city. He could morph more but that would delay the evolution to stage three and his plans.

With no other recourse, he had to ignore the strain to his mind and began to connect with his Overlords and Emily. As the one who set off the storm, Emily could predict the spot where each lightning bolt would hit. Through her senses, Night could tell which Zerg to move where in order to avoid a direct lightning strike.

Unfortunately, the storm was devastating. There dozens of lightning strikes every square yard. To avoid all of them was an impossibility. Night could only limit the damage.

The storm lasted ten minutes, but in that ten minutes, five thousands Zerg perished and the strain on Night's mind was beyond enormous. After a while, Night could feel his eyes bleeding and his mind felt as though it had been lit on fire.

When the storm finally dissipated, Night exhaled. He relaxed for a split second and all the strain hit him at once. The ground was suddenly rushing up at him. He did not feel the impact; he simply fell into darkness.

_Author Note: Sorry that it had been so long since my last update, but I have been going crazy the last couple of months trying to get my first novel published. Since then, I have also started my second novel. I promise to push on with this story but with a novel, my job, and school, I can't promise that updates will be quick, or even regular. Hopefully, my novel, once it comes out, would be successful enough that I could quit school along with my job and write full time._


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: The Wizard Behind The Curtain**

Night awakened in darkness with a blinding headache. He felt neither fear nor panic. He knew exactly where he was. He could feel the faint humming of bio energy in the fleshy floor beneath and the wall around.

He was in one of his Lairs—specifically, the lair in White Stone. The building was worried about him. It surprised him a little. He knew that Zerg structures were alive but, until now, he never realized that the Lairs had cohesive consciousnesses.

It wasn't just the Lairs. All the Zerg were worried about him. The swarm's territory in the forest had been completely abandoned; all the Zerg in existence were in White Stone. He could feel them around the lair, occupying a sizable section of the city.

The Lair was on complete lockdown. All the entrances were sealed; even the opening in the ceiling had been closed. The only light in the room was the gloomy, bluish radiance from the pool.

Five shadowy figures sat around him. His senses enhanced by Zerg DNA, Night could clearly see the four Queens and his mother. The Zerg Queens' eyes glowed with psionic power like eight stars in the night. As his head clear, they smiled at him, four goddesses, angelic and demonic at the same time.

His eyes lingered for a moment on Emily. She had been beautiful as a human, but as a Zerg Queen, she was surreal. Sitting in the darkness, she was like a goddess of the night. She returned his gaze with the same sheepish smile that she always gave him, but on the edge of her perfect lips was a hint of seduction that she had never showed him before.

He tore his gaze from her and turned his attention to the fifth figure, the only human in the group. Even in the darkness, he could see the worry and fear in his mother's eyes. She looked so tired.

"You're awake," his mother said as he pushed himself into a sitting position, and he could hear the relief in her voice.

"How long have I been out?" he murmured.

"Half a day," Gemma said.

"She's had been awake the entire time," Emily said.

Night scowled but flinched when his headache flared. He groaned and rubbed his temples. "I am never doing that ever again."

He got to his feet and spotted a small figure lying behind his mother. He had little trouble recognizing his sister. She was sleeping peacefully; she was even drooling a little, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the city had just survived an army of Hellites by the skin of their teeth and that her brother had been half a step away from permanently becoming a vegetable, assuming that a Zerg Overmind could get brain damage.

"Ignorant is bliss," he whispered, a smile on his face. He wanted his sister to stay like this forever. He wanted her to know no fear, even in the face of an overwhelming army.

He inhaled. The swarm needed to get stronger; he needed to get stronger. Since a few days ago, the swarm had had enough bio energy to evolve to stage three. Because of Michael and his trading caravan, Night had been delaying the morph. Never mind that it would leave Michael and his people out in the cold, he did not like to morph a group of Zerg off creep, cut off from the swarm.

The memories of the battle flashed through his head, and his jaw tightened. For the Zerg to be overwhelmed, it pissed him off so much that his teeth almost itched. When the swarm gets to stage three, he is going to morph enough Zerg to overrun this stupid planet.

He sighed. He felt as though he was struggling against the entire world, pitching his plans against the machinations of fate.

"Get some sleep, mom," he said, standing up.

"Where are you going?" Gemma said.

"I need to take a walk. Get my thoughts straight."

"I'll stay with him," Emily said.

Gemma hesitated for a moment before glancing at Dawn and sighing. "Okay."

Night headed for the exit. Selene and Emily accompanied him while Eve and Lilith stand . The last thing Night saw before he exited the Lair was his mother lying down and pulling his little sister into her arms.

He stepped outside to a milling horde of Zerg, chitterling and clicking in excitement at his appearance. He could feel the adoration and devotion emanating from them. He could feel the same things coming from Selene standing behind him. Someone troubling, he was feeling the same devotion from Emily. Seemed the Zerg DNA was affecting her. Of course, he would be lying if he said that the idea of Emily being completely devoted to him wasn't awfully tempting.

He turned to her. "Do you know much longer you'll be a queen?"

"Don't you like me like this?" she said.

"I love you like this," he said, "but Emily the Zerg Queen is an illusion."

"You can make it real," she said.

He frowned slightly. "It's the power, isn't it? You're hooked."

She scoffed in exasperation. "Forget the power! It's about being a part of something great, to know that you will be accepted no matter what you do or who you are. It's about knowing that you will never be alone." She stepped forward and places her hands on his face. "Do you even know how divine you are? Can you understand how wondrous it is to be connected to you, and what agony it is to feel that connection fade with every passing moment?"

He was momentarily overwhelmed by her emotions. He stood frozen as she placed her forehead against his. Their eyes closed and his mind swept out, simultaneously connecting with every Zerg in existence.

He had made telepathic connections with various Zerg units before, but the connections were all superficial. He had mostly used their sights—most often the Overlords'—or use a Zerg ability or two. He had deliberately avoided delving deeper into their consciousness, viewing it as a serious violation of his Zerg's individual liberty, like reading their souls.

Of course, a bigger reason for this was the Zerg's portrayal in the game. In the Starcraft series, the Zerg was an extremely destructive race who consumed everything in their path. They were the scourge of the Koprulu sector, consuming planets at a time, exterminating everything in their path. He was afraid that if he delved too deep, he would find that bloodlust that so mark the Zerg specie in Starcraft. Night adored his swarm; the last thing he wanted was to discover that they were monsters. If they were, then he preferred to remain in ignorance.

Guided by Emily into a deeper connection of the swarm, however, Night discovered that the Zerg didn't possess even a touch of bloodlust. If he had to use one word to describe the psyche of the Zerg, it would be 'simple'. Zerglings, Hydralisks, Roaches, and such were very easily pleased. They were like puppies—if puppies could rip lions to shreds. They were content as long as they have adequate sustenance. They like to play, and were easily distracted.

What was most shocking was the way they view him. He had simply expected them to view him the way worker ants viewed a queen ant—a devotion enforced by genetic to aid the survival of the species. Instead, he found that the Zerg viewed him as an actual divine figure. Seeing their true thoughts, he felt a massive inferiority complex toward, of all people, himself.

Through his connection with the swarm, he saw an odd aberration. Eve's consciousness was, at that moment, fragmented. A part of her mind was still there, ready to response if any threat appeared, but much of her consciousness was elsewhere. Curious, he focused on her mind and tried to follow the connection to where the rest of her mind was.

In the next moment, his mind was pulled across the universe. His mind travel to the end of infinity, and when one infinity ended, another infinity began.

He couldn't tell whether it was for a moment or a millions years. He could feel the flow of time like an unstoppable rapid. The rapid, however, did not flow in one direction. It flowed forward and split, severing and spilling into oblivion or doubling back into itself, mixing into a tangle mess.

He saw entire galaxy born and die, dying to be reborn again. Stars streaked across space. Enormous clouds of cosmic gases swirled across the universes. Civilizations rose to power and were exterminated in what seemed like moments to him. In time, everything became so insignificant.

His mind was completely overwhelmed. His mind grasped at the sights, trying to remember it, but everything appeared and disappears in the same instant, leaving only vague shadows that quickly faded.

Galaxy upon galaxies, universe after universes, an infinite number if infinities blending together into an entirely new infinity.

Just when he felt as though his mind was being wear away into nothingness, his trip stopped. He had no body, just a disembodied consciousness hovering in the air. Mixing with his consciousness was Eve's whose mind was hiding behind a tree, 'peeking' out from her position. A part of his mind registered her surprised at the appearance of his consciousness, but the rest of his attention was captivated by the world before him.

It was a world of crystals. He was in a massive clearing. To his left was a forest filled with trees made from translucent gemstones. Despite the material that made them, the forest did not have the rigidity of crystals. Instead, the forest wavered with the wind, the crystal leaves clinking as they brushed against each other. Even the grasses on the ground were made out of jade.

To his right was a citadel made out of white crystal, glimmering seven different colors beneath a star-filled night sky lit by three large moons: one soft white, one pink, and one purple.

Right in front of him a crystal table seemingly grown out of the ground, laden with all manner of exotic fruits and crystal bottles filled with softly glowing liquid. At the table, sitting across from each other, where two people: a woman and a man.

They both looked to be in their early twenties. The man wore a black outfit underneath a long dark coat. He had a head of white hair which contrasted sharply with his clothes. The woman sitting across from him was his exact opposite in color schemes. She had a head of long raven hair spilling down her back and wore a white outfit that looked to have an oriental influence to it. There was an air to her, a motherly warmth that Night had felt from both his Earth and Luminous mothers.

The man and woman were both…perfect. Their faces showed no flaw, displaying a breathtaking beauty that could only be described as divine.

He could feel Eve's adoration toward the people. It was an affection that, until that moment, he had thought she only reserved for him. At the same time, he felt her desire not to be found. They weren't suppose to be there.

"I can't believe you all know about my Starcraft project," the man said.

The woman smiled. "You created three Collectives, my love. Did you really think we would not notice?"

"I had hoped." The man sighed. "You know, I remembered a time when I could get away with stuffs."

The woman scowled at him. "Do you mean that short period where the other me was so traumatized that she wouldn't dare say a word even as you beat a man to death in the middle of the street?"

The man flinched and turned away, avoiding the woman's eyes. By an unfavorable turn of fate, the man's eyes strayed toward the spot where Night's consciousness was hovering.

"The hell?" the man said.

In the next moment, Night felt fear. The man's eyes were crystalline and blue, like flawless sapphires. One gaze and Night felt as though his soul had been speared to the spot. He was still aware that he was the Zerg Overmind, that his swarm could sunder planets and obliterate solar systems. Given enough time, his swarm could even consume galaxies if he so wish it.

But all of that was meaningless when compare to a single gaze from this man. Night had no doubt that the man could decide his life or death with a thought, Overmind or not, and it wasn't just his life. The man's will was a like a blade, hovering over his swarm, ready to cleave down whenever the man felt like it.

That thought drove away the fear and replaced it with a scorching anger. In his mind the Zerg swarm, _his _swarm, was a force of nature, to be spoken of in reverence and fear. The idea that there was someone out there who could wipe his swarm from the face of existence at will offended him beyond comprehension.

The man seeing him, fear turning to anger, it all happened in about two seconds, but it was enough for a seed of pride to be planted in his soul. The Zerg had limitless potential; he knew that for a fact. He refused to allow the Zerg to be inferior to anyone.

Silently, he vowed to himself that he would lead the Zerg to glory. He wanted his swarm to look down upon the rest of creation. He wanted the Zerg swarm to rival this man, whoever he was, maybe even exceed him.

The man grinned. "Lofty goal, kid."

His eyes flared and a wave of power slammed into Night's consciousness, throwing him out of the crystal world. Just before he left the realm, he heard the woman remonstrated, "Husband!"

His mind was hurled back through the multitude of infinities. The trip back was much quicker, seemingly taking only a few seconds, but then, he wasn't sure how long it took his mind to get to that strange world. Through a swirl of stars and planets, Night's mind returned to Luminous slammed back into his earthly body.

Night clutched his head and fell to the ground. His brain felt like it was about to burst out of his head. The fading headache from before returned, bringing its entire family and started having a luau inside his skull.

"Who the hell was that?" Night said through the agony.

"What happened?" Emily said, kneeling down, frantically trying to comfort him.

"I don't know," he groaned. He turned his gaze to Selene. "Who was that?"

Pain flashed across the Zerg Queen's eyes. It was an expression Night had never seen before. He didn't even know that his Queen was capable of such an expression.

"We're not supposed to talk about him," Selene said.

The answer took him off guard. The will of the Overmind was supposed to be supreme. Members of his swarm shouldn't be able to keep things from him.

Before he could say anything, a sliver of light appeared. It was about five feet tall, hovering a foot from the ground, bathing the immediate area with gentle white light.

"I'm sorry about that," the voice of the woman from the crystal world echoed from the light. "My husband is…well, I'm not sure how to describe him."

A white, glowing thread extended from the light and touched Night's forehead. He felt like cooling water had been poured into his mind. The pain vanished and the contrast was so extreme that his mind blanked for a few moments.

There was no change to the light but Night could feel her attention turning to Selene. Another thread of light reached out to brush the Zerg Queen, who mewed gently.

"Such an exquisite creation," the light aid. "For all his faults, I must admit that your father is a genius, even if he did steal the idea from a video game."

"He does not like us," Selene murmured.

"Don't be silly. Your father adored all of his creations, though he would never admit it."

"He forbids us from speaking of him."

"Oh, little one, that is not because he dislikes you. It's because he does not trust your Overmind. The Zerg's potential for destruction is far too large. If your Overmind snaps and allows the swarm to eat the universe or something, he knew he would catch all manner of hell from me. He only forbade you to speak of him because he didn't want it tracing back to him should the worse happens."

Selene seemed surprised by the explanation. "And…and now?"

The light let out a soft, tinkling laughter. "I already know about you. There is no point for the secrecy anymore. Speak of him as much as you wish. I'm sure your Overmind has many questions."

"B…but…" Selene began but fell silent.

The light swept closer to her. Radiance flowed around the Zerg Queen in a divine embrace. "Do not worry, daughter. You have my protection, at least from your father."

Selene closed her eyes and leaned into the light. Through their connection, Night could feel her mind. The Zerg Queen's consciousness was serene, bathing in an embrace of tranquility.

After a few moments, Selene's eyes opened and she looked up. "I still feel bad about circumventing his will, though."

There was a moment of silent before the light spoke, "A compromise then. Keep his name in silent, and speak no information that would overtly reveal his identity. Use your judgment."

The light floated back a step, and Night could see Selene pouting.

"I must get back," the light continued. "It is never a good idea to leave your father without supervision. I love that man to death but living with him is so stressful; I keep expecting someone to show up at my front door to tell me that your father had destroyed a universe or something."

With that the light vanished, and darkness fell upon the area once again.

"Ok, what was all that?" Night said, a bit irked. He intensely disliked the idea that there was a part of his swarm hidden from him.

"That was our mother," Selene said. "Of course, she did not have a hand in our birth but her husband was the one who created our Collective."

"Collective?" Night said.

"'Collectives' are a type of civilizations. What sets Collectives apart from other types of other civilization is that each Collective is governed by a singular consciousness. They are also known as Hive-Mind Civilization. Because they are governed by the same awareness, Collective are all but free of internal strife and are extremely unified. All members of each Collective work for the advancement of the civilization, and will sacrifice themselves for the betterment of the whole. Good Collectives are highly sought after by the gods," Selene said. "It was actually our father who came up with the concept, and among all the gods, he is the foremost expert in creating Collectives."

Night could hear the pride in the Zerg Queen's melodious voice, and he felt a touch of jealousy. He didn't like it when one his Zerg show this much adoration toward someone else, especially one of his Queens. Maybe being the Overmind was making him possessive. Maybe it was because, none of his Queens had ever been proud of him before. They displayed adoration toward him but never pride.

Still, he got some useful information from her. That obscenely powerful man he saw was the creator of the Zerg swarm. He didn't make the connection until Selene said it. It was the man's voice that Night heard just before he received the Zerg. _'Good answer, kid,'_ and _'Lofty goal, kid,'_. Even that condescending tone was identical.

He felt a little better about having the man being able to wipe him out along with his swarm with a thought.

"Why did he choose me?" Night said. That was a question that had always nagged at him.

"Are you familiar with the concept of reincarnation?" Selene said

Night nodded. "I've heard of it. Supposedly whenever someone dies, they are reborn, and their actions in this life dictate what they become."

Selene smiled. "That is a common misconception. Reincarnation is not available to everyone. Only beings whose souls possess sufficient strength can be reborn. It is failsafe in the Laws if Existence. It allowed beings of great power to have a second chance should they fall. Most commonly, it allows god to be reborn as mortals if they fall, allowing them another chance to rise to what they once were should Fate favors them. Of course, the vast majority of gods who reincarnated live their lives oblivious of their path and die as human."

"Ok," Night said.

"Centuries before, mother reincarnated on Earth."

Night startled. "You know of Earth?"

"The swarm is aware of such a world," Selene said.

"Do you know where it is?" Night said, his voice trembling.

Selene shook her head. "No, Overmind."

A wave of disappointment swept over Night. The Zerg Queen sensed his emotion and kept silent.

"So your mother was reincarnated on earth…" Night said after a few moments.

"Yes," Selene said. "For this reason, Earth has a special place in her heart. However, father predicts that in the near future, Earth will come under threat. He created our three Collectives in order to neutralize this threat, perhaps even lead the humans of Earth into the space age in a few centuries."

"Why doesn't he just take care of the threat himself?" Night had a hard time believing that there was any threat beyond that man's power.

"Mother doesn't like it when father commit genocide," Selene said.

"I thought she liked Earth."

"She does. It's just that mother is the Goddess of Life; all life are her children. Asking her to destroy one civilization to save another is like asking Lady Gemma to kill you to save your sister or vice versa."

Night fell silent. That would be a horrible decision to force on someone.

"So she has a problem with her husband destroying a civilization, but she wouldn't care if I destroy one?" he said.

"Of course she would care, but in father's original plan, mother was never supposed to find out about it."

"What about now?"

"Now nothing, Overmind," Selene said. "Civilizations rise and fall; it is a natural part of nature. Mother wouldn't interfere with the ebbs and flows of mortal worlds. Besides, she can't very well tell not to defend your home planet. Now that I think about it, father probably planned this as a failsafe in case mother found out his plan."

"Your father sound like a very devious person," Emily said.

"He is," Selene said. "He acts like an idiot most of the time and seems really impulsive, but oftentimes he'll suck you into his machinations without you even realizing it. Of course, once you are sucked into his web, you can never get out. He always dozens of backup plans, and backup plans to the backup plans, and backup plans for the backup plans of the backup plans."

"Ok," Night said. "So, I get why he created the swarm, but why did he chose me?"

"When mother reincarnated on Earth many centuries before, she had a twin brother. While he married a woman from a different world, and eventually they both ascended, some of his children did settle on Earth. You are one of his descendants."

Night was stunned. "So…so your mother is my great, great, great grandmother?"

Selene smiled. "Yes, seventeenth generation I believe. Our reverence for you extends beyond the mere fact that you are our Overmind. We see you as divine because you are a descendant of gods."

"Huh, so he chose me because I'm related to his wife." Night wasn't sure how he felt about that. One the one hand, he loved being the Overmind. Who wouldn't love having control of the Zerg swarm? Still, he disliked the idea of getting any job through family tie.

"That's one of the reason," Selene said. "Because your great, great, great grandfather shared the same womb with mother, his genetic structures were rewritten by mother's aura. He was much further along the evolutionary progress than the rest of the humans of your world. As a matter of fact, because grandmother had to carry mother, her genetic structure was also rewritten, and some of the children she had with her second husband stayed on earth. It creates a very interesting phenomenon where two stages of evolution of the same species exist simultaneously on the same planet."

"What happened to your grandmother first husband?" Night said. He was wondering if the gods got divorce like humans.

"Our uncle killed him."

"My great grandfather killed his own father?"

"No. Different uncle—one of father apprentices. Father has a lot of apprentice. Many of them are famous; all of them are very powerful."

"So why did one of his apprentices kill my ancestor?"

"He tried to steal mother's life-force to regain his youth, so father poisoned him but before the toxin could run its course, our uncle killed him. It's somewhat ironic; if he had been a half-decent dad, father would've never let him die." The Zerg Queen smiled tightly. "Ours is not the most normal of family."

Night didn't know what to say. Abnormal was a bit of an understatement. It was a bit overwhelming, learning that he was the descendant of gods and Zerg maker.

He stared at the glowing horizon. Sunrise was coming and he felt changed. Until that moment, his only goal was to get to stage four and get back to Earth. He had never given any thought on what he was going to do afterward.

As the Overmind, his lifespan was limitless. Until now, he had never realized what that meant. With the swarm at his command, he would never need for food or shelter, so what was he to do with eternity?

He had avoided asking himself that question. The idea of having nothing to do for the rest of eternity wasn't something he wanted to face.

It was different, now. Now that he had seen those two. The thought that anyone could destroy his swarm at will was offensive, even if it was creator of the Zerg.

Night knew what he wanted to do with eternity. He wanted to take his swarm to an unparallel height. He wanted his Zerglings covering worlds. He wanted the heaven darkened by Mutalisk wings. He wanted an army of Queens, fully powered, strong enough to rip a planet apart with psionic power.

Around the hatchery, his swarm sensed his desire and resolution. Thousands of Zerg trembled with excitement as they gaze upon their Overmind. Night absorbed their excitement and let it strengthened his soul.

Amidst it all, he could almost hear the white-haired man amused chuckles echoing to him from beyond the deepest depth of the universe.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: Aftermath**

At dawn, Night sent half of his swarm back into his territory in the forest. That was his main base and he felt very uncomfortable about leaving it undefended.

He took a morning walk to take stock of the city after the battle and to think a few things through. Because they stayed up late the night before, Gemma and Dawn did not rise with the rest of the city, but Emily and Selene was more than happy to accompany him.

Unlike his normal Queens, Emily insisted on wearing clothes. He was glad for that. The carapace suit might cover everything, but it was skintight. The thought of the men in the seeing eyeing her every curve irked him something fierce.

He had never thought about it before, but he should start making his Queens wear clothes. Admittedly, he did enjoy seeing the Queen in all their carapace glory. The Zerg's superior genetics had ensured that each Queen had a perfect body, and with only a suit of carapace hugging their curves, their wings unfurling in the air, there was a femme fatale edge to their beauty. Still, there were children in the city, and, more importantly, Dawn hanged around the Queens all the time. She was at a very impressionable age. It wouldn't do if she were to begin imitating the Queens' style.

The city was waking up with the sun. The citizens of the city were preparing to open their shops and setting up their stalls. As he walked through the street, they stopped their works and stared at him in reverence and gratitude. Some showed a touch of fear. A few even stepped aside and bow their heads as he passed.

"Do either of you know what is going on?" he asked his Queens after they passed the tenth person who bowed to him.

"No, Overmind," Selene said.

"Our focuses had been on you since you lost consciousness," Emily said.

Frowning slightly, Night continued through the city. At first glance, White Stone appeared to be the same, but he could detect a hint of joy from the people. It was a happiness born of the high of surviving the Hellite tide.

Night continued through the city, heading toward the site of the battle.

The area was a mess. The lightning storm burned a large section of land black and torn away a large chunk of the wall. Hundreds of people were working hard to repair the wall while dozens of soldiers were standing guard.

"Wow, you really did a number to this place, didn't you?" Night said to Emily, smirking at her.

She pouted at him. "You told me too."

"I did, didn't I?" he murmured.

Night was somewhat conflicted about making Emily's change permanent. On the one hand, he loved the idea of incorporating Emily into his swarm, to have her wield the power of a Zerg Queen. More importantly, even though he didn't want to admit it, if she was a Zerg Queen then she would his, now and forever.

The only problem with that was that he couldn't be sure whether she would be with him because she truly wanted to or because she was forced to due to the genetic of the Zerg Queen.

As he got near the city wall, the people working there along with the soldiers stopped and looked at him as he passed. They stopped aside and bowed to them as they passed. Night could see reverence in their eyes, along with a flicker of fear.

"Okay, what the hell is wrong with everyone?" Night said after a while.

"It's the battle," a male voice answered him.

Night turned to see Arthur.

"I know I saved their lives. Still…" he said.

"It's not just that," Arthur said. "They saw you change Emily and give her the power of a goddess. The entire city is talking. They think you are a god, yourself. A number of people are beginning to discuss worshiping you as one. There are even rumors that you could give them immortality."

"Technically, I can," Night let slip impulsively.

There was a moment of silent before the people within earshot broke into whispers that quickly spread to everyone in the area.

"Crap," Night said.

On theory what he said was true. As the Overmind, he could command the swarm to incorporate new consciousnesses into the collective, and since Zerg didn't really die, as long as the swarm survived, they would be immortal.

Night looked around. Everyone was staring at him, even Arthur.

"Stop staring at me," he said. "I didn't say anything. You all heard wrong. I can't give you immortality."

From the eyes of the people around him, Night could tell that not one them believe him.

He sighed and massaged his temple. "I just dug my own grave," he muttered. He heard Emily giggled and turned to her. "Are you enjoying this?"

She grinned at him. "A little."

His eye twitched but there wasn't really he could do to her. Well…there was a lot he wanted to do to her but it wasn't the time or the place.

"Let's just go home," Night said.

"Wait," Arthur said just as they turned.

Night groaned. "I said I misspoke. I can't give you immortality."

"It's not about that." Arthur inhaled deeply. "I've been wanting to ask your permission to…woo Eve."

Night froze and stared at him for ten seconds before blinking once. He leaned toward Emily and whispered, "I think the battle left me brain-damaged. I swear he just said he wanted my permission to…to…"

"Woo Eve," Emily said, her face mirroring his shock. "Yeah, I heard the same thing."

Night gaped at Arthur. "You wanted to woo Eve…my Eve…the Zerg Queen Eve!"

"Yes."

"Dude, I know she's pretty—"

"She's gorgeous," Arthur said.

The sentence completely derailed what Night was about to say. "I know, right? I used to be human so pride makes me loathed to admit that the Zerg are superior, but it's hard not to, especially when you see a Queen, their beauty, their natural grace, the power they wield. Compare to them, we're just less hairy monkeys. Well, more you than me."

"What are monkeys?" Arthur asked.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you don't have monkeys on this planet. Go ahead. Make your play for Eve's affections," he said. In truth, he was curious to see if it was possible for someone outside of the swarm to win the heart of a Zerg Queen. He was also curious about whether or not a Queen was capable of having sex with a human. Emily was not a true Zerg Queen so there was no point in asking her, and he couldn't ask the other Queens, not while Emily was within earshot.

Arthur returned to his work of helping to repair the wall. There was no change in his expression but Night could detect a subtle giddiness to his steps.

"So, Eve is gorgeous, is she?" Emily said as they were walking away.

While Emily was his first girlfriend in both lives, Night had little trouble hearing the gunpowder beneath her voice.

"Oh, she's not as pretty as you, sweetie. You are the prettiest girl in the entire universe," he said.

"I am not a child."

He thought that she was certainly acting like one, but he didn't say it out loud. Overmind or not, he had no desire to suffer the wrath of a Zerg Queen.

They walked away in silent, but after about a hundred yard, she drew closer to him and hugged his arm into her chest.

It took, all of Night's effort not to smile.

The next seven days was somewhat interesting. Arthur made a few attempts to woo Eve, bringing her a few gifts, flowers and the likes. The Zerg Queen was confused at first but after Night told her what Arthur was up to, she simply ignored the man.

Night could only say, "Poor bastard."

With the open invitation from his great grandmother, the three Zerg Queens spent a lot of time sending their minds into the realms of the gods, visiting their divine parents. Night's consciousness went with them a few times.

His great grandmother was among nicest person he had ever met. She actually baked cookies for them. He was a little surprise that there was cookies among the gods, but then again, he supposed that many people would consider cookies to be divine food.

His great grandfather was an oddity. According to his great grandmother, despite all his power—and he had a lot of power—what made his great grandfather dangerous was his mind. His great grandfather was an unrivaled genius. Unfortunately his genius was oftentimes extremely destructive. Ninety percents of his inventions were weapons, and any one of them would give the gods nightmares. That was why his great grandmother kept most of his inventions locked up. Of course, occasionally he got one of his inventions out, and it was all his great grandmother could do to keep him from wreaking destruction all over the place.

Of course, offsetting the ninety percents were the other ten, and that other ten percents were one of the reasons she loved him. His great grandfather's less destructive creations were works of arts. Among that ten percents were the Terran, Protoss, and Zerg Collectives. There were a few clues that suggested that he was working on a Xel'naga collective. His great grandmother had mentioned that her husband had also created four collectives from the Warcraft Universe. Of course, he only took half credit for the seven and a half collectives—the Xel'Naga being unfinished—because he stole the ideas, and it's killing him.

Another thing of note was that Night had managed to find an opportunity to ask one of his Queens, Lilith, about their compatibility with humans. She told him that Zerg Queens were morphed with all the parts of a human female hidden beneath the scales. Of course, just in case a Zerg Queen fell in love with someone from another specie, all Queens had the ability to alter their 'hard wares' for compatibility. If necessary, Queens could grows even grow entire new set of 'equipments'. That talk creeped Night out beyond belief.

Of course, that piece of information suggested that the Zerg Overmind did not have exclusive right over his Queens, at least in the matter of sex.

"Love and physical intimacy are among the few things father holds sacred," Selene had explained. "All Zerg are given the right to follow their hearts. As your Queens, we are genetically predisposed to obeying you but we are not required to love you. If you want us in your bed, you must woo us." She had grinned at him. "Of course, as our Overmind, if you decide to woo us, you do have a distinctive advantage. If, the other hand, you decide to use your authority as our Overmind to command us into your bed, there wouldn't be a place in all of Existence you can run to in order to escape father's wrath."

It had taken Night over an hour to shake off that conversation, not the idea of wooing a Zerg Queen but the prospect of pissing his great grandfather off. Their first meeting had been an unforgettable experience. At the time, the man had shown only a flicker of irritation and Night's brain had nearly boiled in his head. The thought of the fury of the Zerg's creator bearing down on him, his true might tearing across the multiverse, it chilled him to the depth of his soul.

As for the rest of the city, after the tide, a religious fervor gripped virtually the entire population. Night's slip about him able to grant immortality spread through White Stone like wildfire. After two days, there was a dozen people kneeling outside of the Lair, eyes closed, praying. The next day, the number doubled. The day after that, the number grew by six. Any appearance Night or his family would fuel the people's devotions.

When Emily appeared, the worshipper would turn fanatical, crawling forward on their knees to touch her. In her, they saw all their hopes. In her, they perceived the reward for their faith. The story of the battle, the display of her power, all had been told and retold until it all turn into myths, all within a few days.

After a few attempts, Night gave up trying to get them to stop. The more he told them that their faith was misplaced, the harder and longer they prayed around his Lair, believing that he told them what he told them because their faith was not strong enough and he was displeased.

Night figured it would be best to just keep out of sight. As his mind was able to tag onto the minds of his Zerg, he did not feel confined.

Night spent much of his time following the Zerg caravan. With the threat to White Stone neutralized, there wasn't much else to do.

A week after the battle, the caravan arrived at the city of Green Leaf. This city was a regular trading partner of White Stone. Their name came from their close proximity with a sizable woodland area.

What made the woodland area special were the numerous pacts of low level Hellites that populated the area, making it ideal for large-scale hunting. This made the city one of the major sources of food in the region.

Green Leaf was far wealthier than White Stone. Among the middle-class cities, it was considered to be one of the most powerful. The wall of the city was taller and more pristine.

There were more soldiers on the wall. But still, there was a bit of panic from the city's defenders at the sight of ten thousands Hellites.

After a tense meeting between Michael's group and the people from the city, the caravan was allowed into the city. Only the Drones alone with two hundred and fifty other Zerg were allowed to accompany Michael.

Within the wall of Green Leaf was a city several time the size of White Stone. The buildings were taller and better kept; the streets were wilder and cleaner; the people were better dressed and better fed. Compared to this city, White Stone was a hole.

Green Leaf was ruled by four clans named after the four seasons. The clan Michael decided to trade with was Summer Flame. The clan was ruled by a level eight Force User.

While at lower levels, magic users were deemed to be more valuable than Force Users, the line blurred after level seven. The primary different between levels one through seven was a different in quantity, simply the amount of energy within the body. The different between a level seven and eight was akin to the different between regular gas and rocket fuel, the same amount meant an exponential gap in the quantity of energy yielded.

What made Magic Users valuable was their ability to deal death on a large scale. At level eight, a Force User's attack could an area. While the area they could attack was not as big as a Magic User, they made up for it by being far more durable.

Michael was a level seven. This single level different, however, meant an insurmountable different in status not only between the two of them but also the clans.

While Michael was the head of the White Wolf clan, the different in status meant that he was only allowed a meeting with a minor administrator of the Summer Flame.

Night could only listen to their conversation for five minutes before retreating. The administrator was just a level five but he was so arrogant, his tone so haughty that it was all Night could do not to put a Hydralisk spine between his eyes.

Despite the man's tone, the trade occurred without incident. After half a day, the caravan began their trip home. After the tide, White Stone had a large surplus of food. While Emily vaporized a good number of Hellites, enough remained to feed the city for quite a while. With the food supply solved, Michael had broker an exchanged of metal and Hellites cores instead.

With the successful trade, the caravan began to head back. A few hours after they left Green Leaf, they ran into an ambush. Over four hundred men, almost fifty of them were Magic Users, appeared out of the tall grass and surrounded the procession. Michael recognized one of the brigands, a man in his late thirties with red hair, as a member of Night Wood, a minor clan from Green Leaf.

Seemed their appearance at Green Leaf along with several Overlords worth of fruit had drawn some attention. That amount of fruits might mean little to nothing for the swarm but for a minor clan, even of a city like Green Leaf, it was a considerable amount of wealth.

Humans preying on humans on Luminous were so common it was almost cliché. When such event occurred between clans of different cities, politics made things somewhat complicated.

In the history of Luminous, there was a practice. Clans from more powerful cities would prey upon clans from weaker cities. Even if the clans from the more powerful cities were weaker than the clans from the lesser cities, the clans from the lesser cities would, more often than not, surrender to the clan from the more powerful cities, because any resistance would bring the wrath of the stronger clans of the more powerful cities who would wipe out the clans from the lesser city to emphasize the superiority of their cities. Sometimes, entire lesser cities were wiped out.

Under normal circumstances, Michael would probably give in to the demands of the Night Wood clan. He would have to even he wanted his clan, or even White Stone, to survive.

Night was an entirely different matter.

Perhaps being the Overmind had changed him or perhaps it was learning of his obscenely powerful ancestors, in any case, outside of his family, humans were becoming increasingly insignificant to him. The humans of Luminous were akin to ants to him. If they didn't bother him, he wouldn't care what they do, but if they tried to bite him, he wouldn't hesitate in wiping them out.

That anyone would demand anything or thought to steal from his swarm was offensive. Before the leader of the group from Night Wood could even finished making his demand, Night ordered his Zerg forward.

It was a one-sided, whole-sale slaughter. Over three hundred and fifty Force Users, nearly fifty Magic Users, anywhere else and they would be a considerable force. Facing the blind fury of the Zerg, however, they barely lasted two minutes.

It was a one-sided, whole-sale slaughter. Half of the brigands perished beneath the first wave of Roach acid and Hydralisk spines. Panicked, the remaining bandits backed away as quickly as they could.

It worked, to a point. Only a hundred men died from the second volley of spines and acid streams. One of the survivors opened his mouth to speak, probably to negotiate.

He never got the chance. A Hydralisk spine shot into his mouth and punched a hole through the back of his throat, severing his spine. The next second, a stream of acid drenched him, melting everything but the man's feet.

The last dozen or so tried to fight back. A Magic User actually managed to wound one of the Hydralisks. Unfortunately for him, that just pissed the Zerg off. The Hydralisk surged forward, bored him to the ground and tore him apart, completely abandoning its conventional spine attack.

Watching the battle through the sight of the Overlord, Night was a little touched. The Zerg showed no hesitation, no mercy. Several thousand creatures, all driven by a fanatical desire to fulfill the will of their Overmind, his will. He knew that their fanaticism was a result of genetic, a design of his divine ancestor. Still…

The rest of the trip back to White Stone was uneventful. Night, Emily, along with Selene went to the south gate to greet the procession. Already at the gate, seemingly waiting for Michael's group, was several hundred people. The crowd was divided into two groups. One group was led by three men in their fifties with salt-and-pepper hair and beard.

The other group was led by three women, One of the women was in her mid forties, one was in their late thirties, and the last one was in her early twenties. All had long black hair. The rest were all men. From the look of them they were laborers, waiting to carry the goods from the trade back to their respective clan.

Night recognized the leaders. The men were of the White Wolf clan, while the women were Elders of the Night Raven clan.

The Night Raven was a bit of an anomaly, not only in White Stone but on the whole of Luminous. Society on Luminous, for the most part, was heavily patriarchal. It was very unusual for a clan to be ruled by women.

He had never had an official meeting with the Night Raven, though he knew their names: Nia, Via, and Tia. They were sisters. The clan's heads were very close his mother. They had probably learned about the caravan's return from her. He hadn't a clue from whom the Elders of the White Wolf learned it from, though.

A few moments after Night and his Queens, the heads of the Night Raven came over to greet them. The Elders of White Wolf made no such move. In their eyes, Night could see an edge of resentment. He understood.

Before the arrival of his swarm, the White Wolf clan was the big cheese of the city. Their power and influence were the highest of the three clans. In the short time that the Zerg had taken resident within the city, they had usurped this position from the White Wolf, becoming the unofficial leader of White Stone.

After the Hellite tide, the swarm influence in the city was unrivaled. If the White Wolf spoke against the Zerg, the entire city's population would turn against them. As for driving the swarm out of the city by force, they could only do that in their wildest of dreams.

The Night Raven's leaders stopped in front of them. They bowed and the oldest woman, Nia, spoke. "Greeting, Lord Night. Lady Selene. Lady Emily."

"Lady Nia." Emily bowed in return while Night nodded an acknowledgement.

"I have been trying to get an audience with you, Lord Night," Nia said to him. "It had been difficult."

"Sorry about that," Night said. "I've been trying to keep out of sight. Ever since the battle, everyone have been weird, and they're getting weirder. I don't want to be stared at like...like she's doing right now."

Nia turned to see Tia, the youngest of the Night Raven Elder, staring at Night. She was fairly gaping at him. Of course, Elder was just a title; she was only in her twenties. Leadership of a clan was usually inherited. The three of them were probably members of the main branch.

"Is it true?" Tia said. "What they say? That you could grant power? Immortality?"

She made no attempt to keep her voice down and everyone in the area turned their gazes to them. Night sighed in irritation. He had been trying to avoid this very situation.

"If I tell you no, would you believe me?" he said.

As he expected, everyone turned and looked at Emily.

"So the question isn't whether or not I can," he continued. "What you really want to know is whether or not I would."

There was a moment of silent before Tia said, "Would you?"

Night paused for a second before nodding. "Yes."

Everyone seemed surprised by his answered, even Emily. Being only a temporary Queen, she was not as privy to his thoughts as the others Zerg, even more so as the Zerg Queen genetic information began to fade.

"You will?" five different peoples, the three Night Ravens along with Emily and Arthur, said at the same time.

"Last year, how many Force Users and Magic Users did you lose?" Night asked Nia. "I'm sure your clan keep tract of such things."

Nia frowned slightly. "Two hundred fifty seven in total."

"And is that a lot? I mean, compare to other years."

"No. All things consider, it is one of our better years."

"And how many had risen to take their places?"

Nia scowled. "One hundred and seventy-eight."

Night turned to Michael. "I suspect that Haven Field used to face similar situations."

"Not every year," Michael said, but his voice was weak.

"What if it wasn't just White Stone and Haven Field? What if every human settlement on this world is slowly being worn down by Hellites?"

The Night Ravens and Michael paled slightly. Whispers broke out among the laborers. Even Emily, with the power of a Zerg Queen flowing through her veins, looked concern.

"Best case scenario, humans are a lesser specie of this world, living in the shadow of the Hellites. Worst case scenario, we faced extinction. In either case, a new balance must be found."

"You would give us this balance?" Nia asked.

"No. You all must work for this balance. Like every specie, humanity must earns their right to survive. I will only give you an edge, for a price of course. To quote the Joker, 'if you're good at something, don't do it for free'."

"Wise man," Arthur said.

"Actually, he's a psychopath, but he's not wrong."

"What price do we have to pay?" Via, the second sibling, spoke for the first time.

"I shall temporarily grant upon you the power of the Zerg along with sanctuaries in which you would be free from the threat of Hellites in exchange for cores," Night said. "As for the amount, we will negotiate that later. There are a few details I still must work out."

With that, Night turned away from the city. Emerging from the horizon, dozens of Overlords floated above a tide of Zerg. As they drew closer, their features became clearer. Night had to admit that each Zerg was a creature of nightmare, born for battles, designed to deal death. And yet, he found their visages comforting.

The swarm surged forward and surrounded him and his Queens, forcing the Night Ravens and even Arthur back. Night felt no threat. Even if this universe turned against him, his swarm would not.

They chittered all around him like children coming home from a long trip. As he reached toward a Hydralisk, the creature lowered its head, allowing him to pet it. He nearly laughed when he felt a flicker of jealousy echoing from the other Zerg.

Smiling at his Zerg, he projected a command to them. The swarm parted, allowing Michael passage.

"Welcome back," Night said. "You seem worried."

"The ambush we ran into," Michael said. "Green Leaf may wish to pursue it further."

"Green Leaf is irrelevant," he said. "And in three more days, they would be less than irrelevant. Speaking of which, I am going to be occupied for the next few days. Could you keep watch over my family until then?"

Michael's face lit up for a split second. "Of course," he said with a mask of nonchalant that Night had little trouble seeing through.

Night eyed him. "You know what? I think I should ask the Night Raven. I feel as though I am handing an infant to a Hellite."

Michael fell silent for a few second before speaking. "Are you opposed to me wooing your mother?"

"Of course not. If you can legitimately win my mother affection, than you have my blessing." Night smirked. "Far be it for me to deny my mother a human pet if she wants one."

Michael floundered slightly and smiled a smile tight with annoyance at Night. "Pet?"

Night grinned. "She's my mother. If she has an official title, she would be the Grand Empress of the Zerg Swarm. Being her human pet is pretty good."

Michael scowled at him but didn't say anything.

Night shrugged. "All kidding aside, you are more than welcome to make a play for my mother's affection. My problem is that for the next few days, I will be neutralized. Without me to depend on, she might look for another that could give her and my sister the support and protection necessary to survive this Hellite-infested world. While she would probably seek out such things at a subconscious level, she would still be in a mentally vulnerable place. I would much prefer it if didn't take advantage of such a window. With that said, I should go talk to the Night Raven."

As he walked away, Michael called after him, "I promise I won't do anything unseemly in your absent."

"You do, and I'll kill ya," Night called back as he disappeared into the milling swarm.

_Author Note: There have been a few inquiries about other Zerg structures such as spawning pool and the likes. The way the Zerg Swarm is designed in this story made such structures superfluous. As long as the genetic information of the various Zerg units are unlocked, those units could be morphed. As for the upgrades, Zerg units automatically get stronger each time the Swarm evolves. There are also a few tricks to strengthening the swarm between evolutions, and they would be mentioned as the story progress._


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23: Prototype**

Night stood inside of his White Stone Lair and watched as hundreds of Zerg filed into living structure. Only a small fragment of his swarm remained in the city; the rest had been sent back to his territory in the forest.

The evolution to stage three meant the evolution of every member of the swarm. This required a measure of bio energy for each of the member of the swarm. As such, at the moment of evolution, every Zerg needed to be either inside a Lair or on creep. Since he had limited the spread of keep in the city, most of the Zerg had no choice but to return to the forest.

The Lair quickly filled up with Zerg, milling and chittering excitedly. Standing nearest to him, the Zerg Queens' eyes were burning with fervor and impatient. As devoted and loyal as they were to their Overmind, Night had no doubt that if he told them that he was delaying the evolution, they would beat the crap out of him.

Sighing at his Queens, Night sent a telepathic command to begin the evolution. He felt a surge of bio energy from the fleshy floor. All around him, the Zerg stilled and began to be enveloped by living cocoons. Night was momentary surprised when he too was swallowed by a similar fleshy casing.

It was an odd sensation, feeling the cocoon filled up with warm liquid. He felt no fear or discomfort as he became submerged. He inhaled the liquid without any hesitation. There wasn't any conscious thought; he simply did it out of instinct.

After his lungs were filled with fluid, the interior of the cocoon flared. A massive dose of energy flowed into his body. There was a split second of blinding pain. Before he could react, his entire body shattered and dissolved into the liquid.

It was a little disconcerting. He felt a sense of weightlessness, like he was having an out-of-body experience.

His sense of time began to blur within the cocoon. As the transformation continued, new information about the swarm began to appear in his head, data about new Zerg strains that were now available to him, their genetic structures, their abilities, along with hundreds of pieces of knowledge about the stage three Zerg.

Completing the data stream was an interesting piece of information; Night needed to choose a Zerg form.

Part of being the Overmind had always been becoming a Zerg. Night was given some leeway, but he couldn't delay anymore. The good news was that, with the Changeling's genetic information unlocked, he would be able to retain his human form while becoming a Zerg.

In the game, the Changelings were amorphous blobs created by the Zerg Overseers. They had no combat abilities. Their only ability was to transform into the unit of the opposing faction and infiltrate the enemy's base.

Unfortunately, due to the plentiful detector units within the game, the Changelings were largely neutralized. This was more so in the pro circle since everyone there was good enough to keep track of where all their units were at all time. A unit moving on its own was very telling, barring a mistake from the player, which is not something you could count on, especially in the pro ring.

In real life however, Changelings could not only morphed into people but also plants and objects. They were dirt cheap to make, making them the perfect spies. Of course, considering the fact that the swarm was fully aware of all that happened on-creep, the Changelings' usefulness lied in infiltration.

With the Changeling's genetic information available to him, Night's only problem became which Zerg template to choose. As glorious as the Zerg were, they were aesthetically wanting, at least to human's eyes. The only Zerg with beauty were the Queens. Unfortunately, all Queens were female; their genetic ensured that. While there were more than a few men who wish to be women, Night wasn't one of them.

Unwilling to choose an available template, his only alternative was to create a new template. It was easier said than done, however. Creation of a new Zerg template required a level of imagination that, Night had to admit, he did not possess.

After a while, a thought occurred to him. If the creator of the Zerg took the idea from a game, perhaps he could do the same. One game stood out in his mind.

_Prototype_. The story of Alex Mercer and James Heller, both were infected by the Blacklight Virus, both turned into bio weapons with the power to slaughter armies. The virus bestowed upon the two men an arsenal of weapons and defenses: Armor, Shield, Claw, Blade, Musclemass, and so forth.

There was his answer. He had no desire to change the current swarm. _Prototype _would allow him to enhance the Zerg, alter it from the game, making it his. It would also be the final piece of the puzzle for his project, his attempt to change this world, to find a new balance between humans and Hellites.

The Zerg Swarm had more than enough genetic abilities for him to replicate all the _Prototype_ weapons. Unfortunately, having all the pieces and putting them together was two different issues.

Genetic was complicated when humans were concern. Biologically, the Zerg were much more advance, and as such, their genetic was far more complicated.

Thankfully, the Swarm had a solution. Every advance civilization required a mean analyze, compile, and store enormous amounts of data. Humans on earth came up with the computer; the Zerg's answer to that problem came in the form of the Hives and Overseers.

The Zerg Hives, as the hearts of Zerg civilization, were where all the knowledge and data of the civilization were stored. As for utilizing that information, calculating, computing and so on, that fell to the Overseers.

The Overseers were the second evolutions of the Zerg Overlords. In appearance, they were slightly wider than their predecessors and covered with optical organs that resemble the eyes of reptiles that allowed them to see everything even, even radio waves. Because of the important of the Overseers, they also evolved a layer of carapace ten times thicker than the Zerg Roaches

As the Overlords evolved into Overseers, they lose their ability to transport. The internal cavity became filled with Zerg neural tissues, turning the Overseer into a massive organic computer with enough processing power to make the most advance supercomputer on Earth seemed like a cell-phone.

Unlike in the game, where the Overseers had no combat ability, they were not so helpless in real life. Overseers were basically giant flying brains. Their psionic power was secondary only to the Zerg Queens. Unfortunately, their worth was reflected in their cost. A single Overseer required 2500 units of bio energy.

While the Stage Three Evolution was still incomplete, the genetic information for the new units had already been unlocked and Night could morph Overseers while the Overlords were still in their cocoons.

He gave the command to morph five Overseers. It would take twenty-four hours for the Overlords to complete their evolution. Night took that time to work out the detail of his _Prototype _templates.

He divided the various _Prototype_ templates into two categories, warrior and mystic. The warrior templates would possess the various power of the game such as claw, blade, and shield.

The problem was the mystic templates.

From what he had observed with Emily, Magic could be fueled by psionic power but it was a completely different force. The Zerg did not possess the ability to manipulate the element like the Magic Users of Luminous.

"_Do any of you guys know anything about Magic?"_ he projected to his Queens.

"_Of course, Overmind," _Eve projected back.

Silent followed.

"_You want to tell me?"_ Night finally projected in exasperation. Though she hid it very well, he could manage to detect a hint of amusement from his eldest Queen.

"_Magic is one of the three Primordial Forces of the Existence,"_ Eve projected. _"Eldest is Ether, from which all are born and where all return after death. Second is Magic, with which all are shaped. Youngest is Life, through which all are sustained."_

"_The Goddess of Life, my grandmother," _Night whispered mentally. His Queens had told him about it before but he didn't give it much thought. It was not until this moment that he realized the grandeur of his lineage.

"_Yes,"_ Eve sent back. _"As far as the swarm is concern, in the mystical sense, the Goddess of Magic is our aunt."_

"_Our family is a little twisted as far as relationship is concern,"_ Selene projected. _"Our father is a Dragon and Dragons are the Goddess of Magic's firstborns. In the divine sense, the Goddess of Magic is his mother, which meant father married his own aunt. It also meant that the Goddess of Magic is both our grandmother and our aunt."_

"_Incest is a mortal taboo, a failsafe to ensure genetic diversity," _Eve projected. _"The divines have no such concern. Besides, there is no blood-bond between father and mother or the Goddess of Magic. The vast majority of gods had various affairs with their creations. More than a few gods fashion creations of great beauty just to warm their beds. It's the lifestyle of those with apocalyptic power."_

"_Hmm,"_ Lilith projected, and Night could detect a note of dreaminess in her psionic wave. _"I've heard that father was the Goddess of Magic's consort before he married mother. Some believe that their affair continues even after father and mother were married."_

"_Where did you hear these things?"_ Night asked. As far as he knew, no Zerg was given a physical body before he became the Overmind.

"_When father was still working on our three collectives, he kept us in his pockets,"_ Lilith projected, _"and father does like to visit bars. You would be surprise what you can pick up in a tavern."_

"_Gods have bars?"_

"_Of course," _Eve projected. _"Alcohol seemed to be a universal hobby."_

"_Father loves alcohol," _Selene projected.

"_Father like drunk people. He thinks people are more honest when they are drunk. Taverns are his churches. He considered them hallowed grounds." _Lilith's melodious laughter echoed in Night's head.

"_What did you mean 'three'?"_ Night asked.

"_What?" _Eve projected back.

"_Lilith said 'when father was still working on our three collectives'. What did she means? Who are the other two collectives?"_ Night had his suspicion. He wasn't sure how he would feel about it if he was right.

"_The Terran and the Protoss, Overmind," _Eve confirmed his suspicion.

Night would sigh if he still had a body. He knew he would run into the other two collectives sooner or later. The purpose of the Zerg was to be a guardian of Earth eventually. He suspected that the other two collectives were given the same job. What he was worried about was that they might come into conflict with each other. In Starcraft canon, the three races didn't exactly get along.

After a few minutes, he decided not to think about it anymore. There wasn't anything he could do about the other two collectives. The only he could do was to strengthen the Zerg enough that they could hold their own if the three collectives go to war with each other.

"_So does that mean the swarm can wield magic?"_ Night projected.

"_Of course, our father is a Dragon. Magic is our birthright," _Lilith answered. _"Beside, the Goddess of Magic is not very choosy about her about gift. Virtually anyone can wield magic. It irks father to no end."_

"_So do you know how to wield magic?"_

"_No, Overmind. Each civilization had a different style when it comes to wielding magic. I believe father wanted us to come up with our own style," _Eve projected.

"_The humans on this world have an interesting way to wield magic,"_ Selene projected._ "A number of them seem to be able to instinctively utilize a single spectrum of elemental magic."_

"_It's possible that their ability is genetic-related," _Eve projected.

"_Perhaps it is why father chose this planet,"_ Selene projected. _"It is conceivable that he meant for us to assimilate this genetic gift into the swarm's arsenal."_

"_But the human of this world only access to elemental magic,"_ Lilith said. _"While it is a great gift, elemental magic is only a single school of mysticism, and a lower school at that."_

"_It is a good start. Once we acquire this genetic gift, we can analyze the frequency of mystic energy and go from there,"_ Eve projected.

Night fell silent and mulled over his Queens conversation. So magic was not beyond his reach, which meant the Mystic templates were possible, but he needed a few things first.

He waited for a day for the Overseers to complete morphing before ordering them to generate the necessary genetic sequences for the templates that were available to him for the moment.

Generating the various _Prototype_ powers was simple. Even combining them into the templates was not difficult. The trouble was in the detail.

For any specie to be viable, a measure of instinct was necessary. The ability to sense danger, how to defend oneself, how to hunt, each instinct was hone by hundred of millennia of evolution.

Each of the templates was, in and of itself, a new living creature. Because the designs were humanoid, many of the human instincts could be recycled. The trouble was the fight-or-flight response.

One of the defining characteristics of the Zerg was that they have no flight response. Unless they were ordered back, they would fight until their opponent die or they do.

Each Zerg template had a different style of combat that had been written into their DNA. Night's problem was that none of the current Zerg combat instincts were designed for a humanoid model. Fortunately, the problem was easily solved by five gigantic biological super computers.

Within half an hour, his Overseers managed to come up with a different style for each of the template. Night ordered an Omni _Prototype_ template just for himself, a humanoid template that use the Changeling DNA as base that would allow him to transform into any of the _Prototype _template that he wanted.

With the final 'i' dotted, the swarm entered the final step of evolution into stage three. The liquid inside Night's cocoon began to swirl, and his new body began to form.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24: A Touch of Divinity**

Within the fleshy cocoon, a humanoid figured floated, encase in a shell of carapace like a black suit of armor of the knight of old.

Inside his own body, Night could barely contain his excitement. He couldn't wait to try out his new body. He felt more powerful than he had ever felt, and not just physically. As the swarm evolved so did his Bio Resonance.

Before stage three, though he had had Psionic Focus, this particular genetic ability had been dormant. This was a limitation forced by his body. His former body could not handle both Psionic Focus and Bio-Resonance being active at the same time without breaking apart. Since his Zerg healing ability was enhance by the lather gift, Bio-Resonance had been given priority. Now, with a stronger Zerg body, both abilities could be active at the same time.

More importantly, just as the Bio-Resonance had enhanced his healing ability, it would now fuel his Psionic Focus, making his psychic power far beyond even that of the Zerg Queens.

Just as his Zerg body completed, he sensed someone enter his new hive. The Zerg in him tensed at the infraction. The Hives were the heart of the Zerg civilization. For anyone to enter the structure without invitation, especially when the swarm was in the middle of evolving, helpless to defend itself, was a severe breach, doubly so when the Overmind was within.

He very nearly lashed out with his newly awakened psionic power and crushed the intruders. What little of his human nature stayed his wrath. He could only sense a three life forms, one of them small and delicate, like a flame of a candle.

His projected a mental field that encompassed the entire Hive. It was a basic technique in using psychic power that the Zerg knew of. The technique gave it user a sort of omniscience sight. Within the field, Night was all-seeing; an ant wouldn't be able to enter the field without him knowing.

When he 'saw' the intruders, he froze. If he wasn't immersed in liquid and covered in carapace, he would have broken out in cold sweat.

The intruders were his family. The three of them were standing side by side. Dawn was hanging onto his mother's hand

If he had lashed out with his power…he shivered at the thought.

"Momma, where's big brother?" Dawn the asked.

"He's in here, sweetie," Gemma answered and began scanning the cocoons.

Night knew his mother was looking for him, and he knew she would be unable to. The cocoons were identical from the outside.

On the other side of Dawn, Emily was doing the same thing. There was a strange glint in her eyes. She looked a little crazed.

Gemma's browed crinkled slightly when Emily stepped toward one of the cocoons and placed her hand on the living outer membrane. Emily had her hand there for a second before a look of disappointment came across her face.

"You're feeling it, aren't you?" Gemma said.

Emily nearly jumped at the sound of her voice, as though she had forgotten that she wasn't alone. "What?" she said, a look of confusion on her face.

"When my son regrew my arm, he granted me the healing ability of a Zerg Roach, remember? I felt the same connection to the Zerg collective. I still remember it." Her expression darkened. "I also remember what it was like when that connection began to fade, that desperation to hang on to the connection, the feeling of despair and powerlessness when I was unable to. When the connection was severed, I felt as though my heart had been ripped out, and I was only given a single gift of a regular Zerg. I can only imagine how much worse it is for you, you who were given all the power of a Queen."

There was a moment of stillness before Emily began to tremble. She hugged herself and gaze at Gemma. "I don't know what to do. I feel like I'm going crazy." The crazed glint in her eyes seemed to explode and she looked every part of the most fanatical of zealot. "When I was one of his Queens, I was able to see him for what he was, beyond that mortal coil that he walks around in. It was beyond beautiful, god-like. I don't think I could live without him anymore."

The desperation and despair in her voice must have scared Dawn.

"I want my brother," the young girl whimpered and burst into tears.

As Gemma rushed to sooth her daughter, Night sighed inside of his cocoon. The evolution was all but finished, and his transformation was done. He sent a command to his body and his hands began to change, each of his fingers into a blade a foot and a half long. This was one of the templates he had invented. He dubbed this 'Talon'.

In _Prototype_, the claw ability grant the main character four blades on each hand, but Night had thought, "Why have four when you can have five?"

Night plunged the blade-fingers into the fleshy shell of his cocoon and tore it open. Water burst out of the living orb, spattering onto the floor of the Hive.

At the sound, the three turned to the cocoon to see Night emerged, wreathed in dark carapace. None of him recognized and though they knew that this structure was part of the swarm, they still felt a wave of fear. So much so that Dawn immediately ducked behind her mother and began to tremble, the tears on her face forgotten.

They had never feared the swarm before because of Night's presence. The knowledge that Night was the will that govern the swarm allowed them to overlook the Zerg demonic appearance. To Dawn's young mind, the Zerg were even cute. They brought her food, played with her, protected her, and, above all, they belonged to her brother.

Now, without Night here, or so they believed, even this humanoid Zerg looked nightmarish.

"I thought the Night Raven was supposed to take care of you," Night said.

There was a moment of shock.

"Night?" Gemma said.

The carapaces covering his head shifted and melted away, revealing his human visage. "It's me."

"Big brother!" Dawn squealed and ran for him.

Night reached down and caught his sister. The carapaces covering his body were harder than forge steel. If he'd let his sister ran into him, best case scenario would be a broken nose. He picked her up and held her in his arms, letting her ran her little hand through his armors in curiosity.

It was his mother, however, that asked the question. "What are you wearing?"

"I just got this," he said. "This is part of my Zerg form."

"Are you always going to look like that?"

"I can change back into my human form but the evolutionary process had melted all of my clothes." He glanced at his sister and smiled at the look of wonder on her face as she examined the carapace. "Would you like a suit like mine, little sister?"

Dawn looked at him, wide-eyed, and nodded eagerly.

He put her down and placed a hand onto her head. Dawn trembled slightly, and a dreamy look appeared on her face, as though she was eating candy for the first time. Her clothes bulged outward and began to tear. Black carapace could be seen through the tears.

Unlike with his mother and Emily, now that the swarm was at stage three, Night could permanently incorporate his sister into the Zerg swarm. As Zerg never truly die, if their bodies were destroyed, their consciousness would be preserved by the Collective and given new bodies at the will of the Overmind, he was effectively giving his sister immortality, something he was planning to give his mother, and Emily if she wanted it.

The humans of this world live in an atmosphere of constant fear, doubly so for children. Against the overwhelming number of Hellites that occupied this world, human life was a fragile thing, like a candle exposed to the wind, easily extinguished. The survival of each child was a miracle. Unfortunately, the thing about miracles was that they were far and in between.

Night knew that for the humans of this world to survive, they needed an increase in population. For that to happen, the younglings must be protected. As such, he had commissioned a template for youngling, one with a much denser carapace shell.

Within a minute the transformation was complete and a little figure in glossy armor was standing in front of him.

There was a moment of silent before dawn hastily tore the clothes from her body, revealing the carapaces covering her skin. She twisted and turned, admiring her new shell before giving a delighted squeal and dove to the ground. Before she hit the ground, she curled up and morphed into an orb.

Night designed the orb form of the youngling template as a defensive measure. He took the idea from the billiard ball. Against an orb, anything beside a pinpoint direct blow would glance off. Even if a billiard ball was hit just right, it would roll with the blow and neutralize the force. The orb form would also increase the youngling's speed, just in case they need to flee.

Dawn giggled and rolled through the Hive, weaving her way through the cocoons that occupied the floor. Night could feel her joy echoing back through the mental connection that they now share.

Standing beside him, Gemma watched her daughter with a serene smile on her face. Night had little trouble sensing the joy she felt at the happiness of her daughter. At the same time, he could feel a flicker of envy from her. It was very small, but it was there.

Night smiled and held a hand out to his mother. "Your turn, mother."

Gemma froze for moment before reaching for her son's hand, her arm trembling slightly in anticipation. Night's finger closed around his mother's hand and a stream of bio energy flowed into her.

Gemma shivered as she changed. Beneath her clothes, a layer of diminutive scales flowed across her skin, forming into sleek armors. Skeletal wings exploded from her back and, like with Emily, shredded her back.

Night flinched. He just saw everything. "Okay, I'm going to need a little therapy when I get back to Earth. Hopefully, I can get back to Earth before I have a psychotic break and kill everyone on this planet."

"What?" Gemma murmured, looking a bit daze from her transformation.

"It's nothing," Night said.

Gemma didn't give it much though. She closed her eyes and Night could feel her consciousness surging through the swarm's telepathic network. She pushed her consciousness faster and faster, flowing from node to node, connecting with one mind after another, never staying for more than a second.

Night smiled. He could understand what she was feeling. It was like when he first got his driver license. The sense of freedom was intoxicating. He had drove for hours, no destination, no purpose. He drove just to drive, just to indulge.

It was nearly five minutes before she was satisfied. She opened her eyes and exhaled before turning to Emily. "My god, is this what you felt? What you lost? How is it that you haven't gone insane?"

Emily didn't say anything and began to tremble.

"Mother," Night said. "You realize you are rubbing it in her face."

Gemma rolled her eyes. "It's not that bad. After all, you are going to offer her this gift, won't you?"

Night sighed and took a step toward Emily. "I now offer you a permanent position as a Zerg Queen. Know that should you accept, you would be mine, body and soul, forever and ever. You would be stuck with me. Are you sure that is what you want?"

Emily nodded without hesitation.

"As you wish," he said, offering her his hand.

She took his hand immediately. A flow of bio energy, a brief transformation during which Night got another glimpse of her in all her glory, and Emily once again resume her position as a Zerg Queen.

Just as her transformation completed, the closest cocoons hatched. The three Zerg Queens emerged. Their bone wings unfurled and flexed as they tested their improved bodies.

Night held his breath. The Queens had always been powerful, but there was something else about them, and sliver of something divine. Before Night could contemplate upon their new change, the remaining cocoons began to hatch.

One Zerg after another completed their evolution, and began to make their way toward Night. A Hydralisk nipped at him to get his attention before rearing up and flexing its body, displaying it rows of spine. There was no animosity in its actions. The creature was simply showing off it new, more powerful body, like a child would in order to get praised by his parents.

Smiling, Night reached out and the creature lower itself to allow him to pat its head. All around, the other Zerg chittered, and he could feel a flicker of envy from the rest of the swarm.

More and more Zerg completed their evolution and began to mill about the Hive. With each hatched cocoon, more power began to flow into him through the Bio Resonance connection. The power built up inside him and began to resonate with his psionic power.

The stream of energy turned into a river and then a raging rapid. When the final cocoon hatch, the wave of energy was the last drop of water that made the cup spill over. The raging rapid overflowed and surged. His Psionic Focus connected drew in this power and his consciousness swell until it felt as though it was pressing against the very fabric of reality.

It was then that he felt it, a vibration beyond the fabric of reality. He didn't know what it was, but he felt an intimate familiarity.

Of course, feeling the vibration and getting to whatever on the other side were two different things. The fabric of reality stood resolute against him, an impassible barrier. He felt like a child pushing against a brick wall. It was maddening, feeling the vibration and yet unable to reach it.

After trying a dozen times, he sighed and withdrew his consciousness. "What on the other side?" he asked Eve.

"The space between space, Overmind," she answered.

"What's there?"

"A miasma of energy formed from the various primal elements that make up the fabric of Existence. A good portion of that miasma is made of the three Primordial Elements so father called it the Trinity Ocean."

"I feel like it is calling me."

"Mother is the goddess of Life," Eve explained. "She is the will of the Life Stream which resides in the Trinity Ocean. Through your bloodline was passed down a gene that allows for a certain affinity to the Trinity Ocean. It's a very rare and powerful gift, even among the gods."

"About that, even if I am a descendent of her line, that would just be my lineage on Earth. It shouldn't have anything to do with this body."

"The divine gene of your lineage does not just affect the body but also the soul. Even so, you would not have been strong enough to become our Overmind under normal circumstances. As such, when you were born, father divided your soul. Half was allowed to grow up on Earth, the other half was brought to this planet. When you were chosen, both halves were combined, bodies and souls, and the whole became greater than the sum of the parts. It's not just you, father did this to several thousand of candidates and scattered the halves across the universe. Those that aren't chosen will live normal lives, barring an accident or something."

"When I was born? He planned all this that long ago? But Starcraft didn't come out back then."

"Father can move through time," Selene said. "He's not supposed to but then most of the things he does, he's not supposed to do."

"Why was I chosen?" Night said.

It was Lilith who answered him. "Of the three Starcraft collectives, father said that we are the most destructive. The Terran is robotic and is more or less without desire or emotion. The Protoss is limited by their numbers. Only the swarm is without end. Given the chance, we could spread across the stars at an unimaginable speed. Such an event will most likely cause many of the species already inhabiting this universe to go to war against us." Her lips curved into a smile. "Of all the candidates, father deemed you the least likely to let us run wild and eat the universe. As much as he would enjoy such pervasive destruction…" She fell silent.

"He's worried about grandmother," Night said.

"Her sorrow is the only thing he worried about," Selene said. "A universal war would cause an unimaginable amount of deaths. As the Goddess of Life, mother would be grief-stricken for years."

"It's the humans," Lilith said. "Mother always had a soft spot for them, and they are the most likely to oppose the spreading of the swarm." She stepped closer to Night, pressing her entire body against his side. With the tip her finger, she slowly drew a circle on the carapace that covered his chest, the sensation of her action bleeding right through the armor. "You could prove father wrong and unleashed us upon the universe."

"Lilith," Eve said, frowning.

Lilith turned to her. "Mother will get over it. It is not as though we will leave the universe in ruin. As destructive as father think we are, the humans are far worse. They poisoned virtually any world they live on. Father has been trying to get rid of them for years. The universe, any universe, would be far better in our hands." She turned back to Night. "You could reign supreme among the stars, Overmind."

"By killing or enslaving every civilization we come across? That's not going to happen," Night said.

Lilith huffed and pushed away. "You're just like father. Neither of you is willing to do what is necessary."

As soon as Lilith pulled away from Night, Emily took her place, possessively clutching at Night's arm. Night had been sensing a touch jealousy from her ever since Lilith pressed herself to him. He couldn't help but smirk just a little. Unfortunately, there was a more pressing matter preventing him from enjoying the moment.

"I'm a little concerned that she's going to kill me and take over," Night said to Eve.

"Don't worry, Overmind," Eve said. "The pain of your death would be all but intolerable to us. For any of us to even consider such a thing would take an amount of hatred enough to burn the stars in the heaven. It would take a lot more than a different of opinion to turn us against you." She smiled. "Still, it would behoove you to be nice to us."

"I hope you're right," Night said. "In any case, we could only proceed under the assumption that she won't kill me." He sighed. "Come on. It's time for the swarm to step into the world's stage."


	25. Letter to Readers

Author's Apology

Dear Readers:

I first started _The Zerg Swarm_ on a whim. After a few months, even I was surprised that it got as much support as it did. Unfortunately, when I first started the story, I did not think through the details of the story. As such, both the world of Luminous and this particular incarnation of the Zerg lack vitality. The result is that I have all but lost interest in the story. This manifests in an ever increasing period of time between updates.

You have all been very patience with me, and I feel that you deserved much better than waiting months on end for piss-poor chapters. So I am dropping _The Zerg Swarm_ and moving onto _The Terran Legion_ and subsequently to _The Protoss Khala_. Once the tales of both the Terran and the Protoss are finished, I will write _The Zerg Swarm - NEO_ with a more vibrant swarm and a livelier Luminous.

Below, I am including a synopsis of _The Zerg Swarm_ for anyone who would be interested. The first chapters of _The Terran Legion_ will be uploaded within a week or two. Until then, if you like, you could read the first half of my book, Divine, on fictionpress; just search for my name.

If what you read is of interest to you, the full book is available on Amazon, BarnsAndNoble, or directly from my site. The links are in my profile. Please tell your friends, family, coworkers, and/or strangers you meet on the street. I'm a new author so any support would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you all for your continuing support,

East Bridge

_The Zerg Swarm_'s Synopsis

The story left off as the Zerg Swarm evolved into stage three and Night had just designed the various Prototype Zerg templates. This unlocked the spell-caster units of the Zerg such as Infestors and Defiler along with the Zerg ultimate land-based weapon, the Ultralisk. (My version of the Zerg has the Infestors as sort of a geneticist/brain bug, injecting and manipulating DNA to make Infested Terrans, among other more horrible thing. They also use neuro parasites to mind control other creatures, reading their minds and the likes. As for the Defilers, they are the bringer of disease and plague, they could spread a disease that would consume every weaker member of a population within a few days. The Defilers most useful ability, however, is the dark swarm. Unlike in the game where the ability is only use as a shield, the dark swarm here is a thick mist of airborne Zerg bacteria that not only obscured line of sight but will also slowly eat away at anything that they deemed unwelcomed.)

With his new power and units in hand, Night put his Project Sanctuary into full effect. He informed White Stone to the concept of bio energy and began to temporary infused any human with a Prototype template for a price. He also began renting out Overlords as transportation in an attempt to promote trades and contact between human settlements. To provide the humans of Luminous a safe haven, he altered the wall of the Hives into fleshy apartment which he then rented out.

The Zerg swarm began to expand very quickly across the face of the world. More and more humans moved into the Hives, leaving many city half empted or completely deserted. A good number of humans began to worship Night as a god. Within half a month after Project Sanctuary began, the Overlords Night sent months before arrived at the moons. Within a few days, creep enveloped the moons, turning them purple, further fueling the worshippers' fervor.

As both his territory and religion expanded, the power and influence of the various clans and cities began to diminish. A couple began to dream of the power and wealth that the swarm now commanded. Some just wanted to crush the Zerg in order to protect their interest.

One by one, each city that challenged the swarm was overwhelmed. After half a dozen city fell to the Zerg, the swarm entered the elite circle of Luminous, become the third major powers—the other two being Heaven Gate and a hidden city called Darkness Light.

Through meeting with the city of Darkness Light located within a hollowed out mountain, Night learned at Heaven Gate was the servant another world called Solaris. It was the people of Solaris that brought the Hellites to Luminous. It was the cores. Hellites were destructive and all but impossible to domesticate on a large scale. So they brought the Hellites to Luminous and all but obliterate the civilization on Luminous. Free-range Hellites, that was the plan.

Darkness Light was started by a group of people who knew the truth. Their goal was to destroy Heaven Gate and free Luminous from the grip of Solaris.

Before Night even decided what to do about this new piece of information, the forces of Heaven Gate attacked the swarm. Seemed the growth of the swarm had severely cutting into Heaven Gate's ability to collect Hellites cores, and they could not meet their quota.

After a few battles, the considerable force of Heaven Gate proved unequal to the task of holding back the Zerg tide and Night's forces had the city surrounded.

From Heaven Gate emerged three a large number of Force and Magic Users along with numerous magically powered war machines, the product of an advanced magical civilization.

Despite their advancement, Heaven Gate failed to hold back the swarm and the city was overrun.

From the mind of the prisoners of the city, Night found out that the using of Luminous as a backyard for Hellites were not the consensus of Solaris but rather the action of a single powerful family of Solaris, the Anusis, that the rest of Solaris did not even know about Luminous.

Night also learned that level ten was not as strong as human could get. On Solaris, Force and Magic Users along with Hellites rose as high as level fifteen.

In the depth of Heaven Gate, Night discovered a spell circle that allowed transport between the two worlds. Through the spell circle, Night sent his swarm to Solaris and the Zerg overwhelmed the Anusis, taking over their territory within three days, establishing themselves as a new, dominant clan of Solaris.

Solaris was ten times the size of Luminous and was ruled by large and powerful families instead of having countries or kingdoms.

Fascinated by the magical civilization, Night began to collect anything and everything magical, going so far as to enroll himself in a magical school. All the while, the swarm was integrating themselves into Solaris through trade, selling condense bio energy and using the profit to buy more Hellites cores.

Business was booming, and with increase wealth so came conflicts as the other powerful families of Solaris began to turn their gaze toward the Zerg. A few even attacked the swarm under the claim that the Zerg were evil invaders. Of course, all their claims of righteousness were meaningless against the fury of the swarm.

For the most part, Night all but ignored them, spending his time and much of the Overseers mental capacity on analyzing, optimizing, and coming up with new spells.

Through the school he was enrolled in, Night learned that the magical civilization on Solaris used to be much more advance, that about ten thousand years ago, there was a massive cataclysm and much of the knowledge of the old civilization was lost. The only thing remained of the old world were a few ruins in forest, mountain, or underground scattered all over the planet. Night began to send his Zerg to search for these ruins and collect the knowledge there.

From one of the ruin, Night learned that the ancient families of Solaris were so advanced that they were capable of space travel. They couldn't break the light-speed barrier but they managed to master stasis. When the cataclysm hit, many of the families had sent out space-faring 'Arks' toward the direction where they suspected habitable world lied.

On a whim, Night ordered a search of Luminous. In the depth of the ocean, he discovered the remnant of a crashed Ark, confirming what he learned on Solaris and discovering where the ancestors of the humans on Luminous came from. From the evidence he could gathered, it was the survivals of the Ark who drew the spell circle in Heaven Gate. It had simply been useless since there was nothing to connect to. The Anusis had drawn the other end of that particular mystical bridge by accident when researching some magic they had discovered in a ruin. It was more less dumb luck.

Of course, this fact had little effect on him. Night simply considered it an interesting discovery. It wasn't until a year later that the events of the cataclysm showed their effects. Nine lineages who had taken to the stars during the cataclysm returned. Seemed they had landed upon habitable worlds, but these new world seemed too harsh for their liking. After many years, they had finally discovered the path through space back to luminous.

The returning Solarians viewed the people of the new world as inferior and began to enslave or wipe out the current Solarians. The whole of Solaris degenerate into chaos as the ancient Solarian lineages began to struggle for larger territory.

For his part, Night kept to his territory. It mattered little to him who reigned over Solaris. Unfortunately, the planetary strife seemed disinclined to allow the Zerg to remain neutral. One of the ancient lineages attacked Night's territory and was subsequently eaten by the swarm. The three ancient lineages allied with them attacked the Zerg in reprisal, viewing the swarm's victory as a humiliation and a challenge to their superiority.

They, too, were wiped out.

It wasn't until then that the remaining ancient lineages realized how dangerous the Zerg was and banded together to oppose the swarm. By then, however, the Zerg numbered in the billions. When the ancient lineage accidently injured Dawn, in his fury, Night brought the full fury of the swarm against the whole of Solaris.

The Zerg spread like wild fire. It took nearly two months for Night's anger to burn out. By then, the swarm had all but covered the whole planet.

At his mother's urging, Night offered the remaining two ancient lineages the chance to surrender, and they took it eagerly. Within two months, the Zerg had reign supreme on Solaris.

They lived peacefully for five years before the swarm managed to reach level four, unlocking Broodlords, Corruptors, Devourers, Guardians, and Leviathans along with the ability to travel between galaxies.

A month after the Zerg's evolution to stage four, Night received a message from the creator of the swarm. In the message was a set of coordinate to Earth.

Night took his family and headed to earth immediately. He arrived at the Sol System (the solar system where Earth was located) at the same time as the Protoss's Prime Executor and the Terran's Supreme Commander.

Waiting for the three of them was a pearl-liked ivory ship with tens of thousands of crystals that formed nine rings that maintained various orbits around the central orb. The three of them were teleported onto the ships where they met the creator of the three races.

He told them that the official reason that he created the three races was to protect Earth, which was very dear to their great, great, great, great…great grandmother. Unofficially, he was just a fan of game and wanted to create the three races and sent them out among the stars to see how many galaxies the three races could stir into a bloody mess.

He gave them leave to return to their families on Earth, asking them to at least put up the appearance of protecting the planet but stated that as long as they didn't kill more than half of the world's human population, he didn't really care what they do.

When they voice their concern about being away for so long, he told them that he had sent them back in time, that as far as everyone on Earth was concerned, they had only been gone for three days. There would be a problem since their Earth parents did call the police to report them missing, but he said it should be inconsequential for the wills that governed the three races.

With that, the three returned to Earth.

_Author's Note: The three races will each have their own tales on Earth in what I am, at the moment, tentatively dubbed as the Terra Arcs. As for my future plans with the Terran and Protoss along with the relaunch of the Zerg tales, as mention above, I will be uploading the first two chapters of the __Terran Legion__ within a week or two. _

_I am also planning to make the three races even more powerful in an attempt to widen the scale of the stories. At the moment, I planned for stage one of the three races to be a little more advance than the technologies of earth at the end of the twenties centuries—power of flight, ability to break orbit and built satellite, and able to travel to the moon and the like. At stage two, they would gain the technologies for sub-light travel, allowing them to move between the planets within the same solar system._

_Stage three would allow the three races to travel at trans-light speed, allowing their civilization to enter the interstellar age._

_Stage four would be the transition into the intergalactic age._

_Hopefully, this would be allow for a more stable development of the three races, if only at a literary level_


End file.
